Washington Administrative Code

This chapter is applicable for emergency activities as outlined in chapter 38.52 RCW for:(1) Emergencies, disasters, and related incidents that are determined by appropriate tribal, state, or local authorities to require the use of emergency workers and that are authorized by the…

(1) "Authorized official" means the adjutant general of the Washington military department or designee, director of the state emergency management division or designee, the director or designee of a tribal or local emergency management agency, the chief law enforcement officer or…

Registration is a prerequisite for eligibility of emergency workers for benefits and legal protection under chapter 38.52 RCW.(1) Emergency workers shall register in their jurisdiction of residence or in the jurisdiction where their volunteer organization is headquartered by comp…

The following classes of emergency workers and the scope of duties of each class are hereby established.(1) Administration includes, but is not limited to, technical, administrative, and clerical services and may involve recruiting, coordinating, and directing any emergency suppo…

There are three classes of search and rescue emergency workers: Novice, support personnel, and field personnel. The basic qualifications listed below define each of the three classes. Tribal or local requirements may include more extensive and detailed qualifications to meet trib…

When appropriate, and with input from tribal and local emergency management and law enforcement agencies as well as volunteer organizations, state standards may be established for classes of individual emergency workers and for search and rescue specialties. Upon establishment of…

(1) Authorized officials registering emergency workers have the responsibility to ensure those emergency workers meet basic qualifications as stated in these rules. Authorized officials organizing and using emergency workers are responsible for assembling the proper combination o…

(1) Emergency workers shall be responsible to certify to the authorized officials registering them and using their services that they are aware of and will comply with all applicable responsibilities and requirements set forth in these rules.(a) Emergency workers have the respons…

Emergency workers are considered to be on duty when they are performing their duties during a mission, evidence search mission, or training event authorized by the emergency management division and they are under the direction and control of an authorized official.In no event sha…

(1) The emergency management division shall assign a mission number to approved missions or other emergency activities. The tribal or local authorized official shall notify emergency management division as soon as practical of all missions or other emergency activities under thei…

(1) The purpose of this section is to provide additional training opportunities for emergency workers. Since the skills and techniques used to search for evidence relating to criminal activity are substantially the same as those used in the search for clues relating to lost or in…

(1) Jurisdictions may request a training event number for individual training events or for a series of routine, recurring, training activities such as monthly training meetings or for an established training program such as a search and rescue academy.(2) A request for a trainin…

(1) Compensation shall be authorized when emergency worker eligibility has been established and all appropriate regulations and statutes are complied with.(2) Emergency workers are eligible for compensation when they are participating in a mission, evidence search mission, or tra…

(1) The injured person shall have been a registered emergency worker, activated by an authorized official for an authorized activity under the provisions of chapter 38.52 RCW, and shall have reported to or been in the process of reporting to the authorized on-scene official.(2) T…

(1) The person seeking reimbursement shall have been a registered emergency worker, activated by an authorized official for an authorized activity under the provisions of chapter 38.52 RCW, and shall have reported to or been in the process of reporting to the authorized on-scene …

(1) The person seeking reimbursement shall have been a registered emergency worker, activated by an authorized official for an authorized activity under the provisions of chapter 38.52 RCW, and shall have reported to or been in the process of reporting to the authorized on-scene …

(1) Tribal or local authorized officials may submit extraordinary expense claims on behalf of emergency workers if the expenses were necessary to directly support emergency worker activity under an emergency management division mission number and the expenses represent extraordin…

(1) The emergency management division shall provide forms for use by tribal or local emergency management agency directors in providing after action information. After action reports shall be filed for:(a) Search and rescue missions (Form EMD-077, search and rescue mission data s…

If any provision of this chapter is held invalid, the remainder of the rule is not affected.[Statutory Authority: Chapter 38.52 RCW. WSR 93-23-005 (Order 93-08), § 118-04-420, filed 11/4/93, effective 12/5/93.]

The purpose of this chapter is to establish eligibility and allocation criteria to be applied by the director in allocating emergency management assistance (EMA) funds to emergency management organizations (EMOs). The EMA funds are to supplement and enhance, not supplant, existin…

(1) "Advisory group" means a group comprised of local, tribal, and state emergency management professionals that shall advise the director.(2) "Comprehensive emergency management plan (CEMP)" means a current, verified emergency plan as required by chapter 118-30 WAC.(3) "Director…

An EMO is eligible to receive EMA funds if the following criteria is met by the EMO prior to the beginning of the application period for which the EMA funds are sought:(1) Have a current CEMP, or schedule for plan development or maintenance, verified by the director.(2) Have at l…

EMA funds shall be allocated to eligible EMOs as prescribed in this section.(1) EMPG funds and successor/supplemental federal emergency management assistance funds: EMPG and successor/supplemental federal emergency management assistance funds shall be allocated to eligible EMOs o…

(1) Appeal: An EMO may appeal to the director to reconsider eligibility determinations and the amount of EMA funds allocated if it believes the determination is inconsistent with the criteria. Such appeal must be made in writing setting forth the specific reasons for the appeal a…

The director shall consult with the advisory group on the following:(1) Activities that will both sustain and enhance statewide emergency management capabilities for purposes of reallocating EMA funds;(2) Potential changes to the percentage of EMA funds EMD retains for M&A costs …

The authority for this chapter is RCW 38.52.030(9), which authorizes the director of the Washington military department, emergency management division, to prepare and administer a state program for emergency assistance to individuals within the state who are victims of a natural,…

The purpose of this chapter is to establish eligibility, activation, funding, and programmatic criteria for a Washington state disaster individual assistance (IA) program. The state IA program is designed to provide supplemental state assistance for disaster survivors. Assistance…

The definitions in this section apply throughout this title unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Applicant" means an individual applying to the state IA program. An applicant may apply for a disaster survivor on the survivor's behalf.(2) "Department" means Washingto…

Amounts awarded under the state IA program are limited to allocations made available to the Washington military department, emergency management division, for the Washington state disaster individual assistance program each state fiscal year.[Statutory Authority: RCW 38.52.030(9)…

(1) The state of Washington will activate the state IA program in the event all the following criteria are met:(a) A county or tribal government declaration or state of emergency has been issued;(b) The governor has issued an emergency proclamation with language directing, orderi…

(1) Applications. Applications for state IA program funds may be accepted in the following ways:(a) In person (disaster recovery center, disaster loan outreach center, multiagency resource center, etc.);(b) By phone (call center/disaster assistance hotline);(c) Online; or(d) U.S.…

Disaster types eligible for assistance are identified in the Washington state enhanced hazard mitigation plan.[Statutory Authority: RCW 38.52.030(9) and 38.52.050. WSR 24-18-046, § 118-11-070, filed 8/27/24, effective 9/27/24.]

(1) The award amounts and maximum awards for each program category are defined annually by the Washington military department and outlined in the department's state IA program administrative plan. Maximum awards for the housing assistance and household needs assistance programs a…

(1) Declared counties or tribal governments must have a signed opt-in grant agreement with the state in place prior to activation. A completed state IA grant agreement between the impacted jurisdiction and the Washington military department with incident-specific information will…

(1) To be eligible for state IA program assistance, recipients must meet all general eligibility requirements provided in this section in addition to any program-specific requirements.(2) To apply for the state IA program, the applicant or survivor must:(a) Be a resident of a cou…

Impacted jurisdictions that have entered into a state IA program grant agreement with the department must allow survivors applying for assistance an opportunity to appeal and allow for reconsideration of application denials as provided in this section.(1) Number of appeals. In ca…

This chapter is promulgated pursuant to the authority granted in RCW 38.52.070.[Statutory Authority: Chapter 38.52 RCW. WSR 86-15-068 (Order 86-10), § 118-30-010, filed 7/22/86.]

The purpose of this chapter is to establish criteria for existing local emergency management organizations, plans, and programs, and to evaluate new local emergency management organizations, plans, and programs to ensure consistency with the state comprehensive emergency manageme…

As used in this chapter:(1) Emergency management will hereinafter refer to emergency management organizations.(2) Director means the adjutant general of the Washington military department. The adjutant general delegates this authority to the Washington emergency management divisi…

(1) Each political subdivision must establish an emergency management organization by ordinance or resolution passed by the legislative body of the political subdivision.(2) Each political subdivision shall develop, promulgate, and submit a comprehensive emergency management plan…

(1) The ordinance or resolution establishing an emergency management organization, and the governing document establishing a joint emergency management organization if applicable, shall contain the following elements:(a) How costs of supporting the emergency management organizati…

(1) Each emergency management organization or joint emergency management organization shall create, promulgate, and maintain a current plan which shall be based on a hazard analysis or equivalent and, at a minimum, include a basic document with the following elements:(a) Mission …

(1) The director or their designee shall review and evaluate plans and other documents submitted by a local emergency management organization within the following time periods:(a) Ordinances/resolutions shall be reviewed within 30 working days of submittal to verify that a politi…

On October 17, 1986, the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) was signed into law (P.L. 99-499). One part of the SARA provisions is Title III: "The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986" hereafter referred to as "EPCRA." EPCRA establish…

It is the purpose of this chapter to implement the provisions of EPCRA in the state of Washington to establish a mechanism for compliance by state and local governmental agencies and industry. This chapter is promulgated under the general policy and rule-making authority of the m…

"Administrator" means the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)."CERCLA" means the Comprehensive Emergency Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as adopted."EMC" means the emergency management council for Washington state. (RCW 38.52.040(1).)"Envi…

(1) In keeping with the provisions of Section 301(a) of EPCRA the EMC appoints the state emergency response commission membership composed of a representative from the following agencies and organizations:(a) Military department.(b) Department of ecology.(c) Washington state patr…

The purpose of the state emergency response commission is to coordinate hazardous material issues and carry out the mandate of EPCRA (P.L. 99-499), as now authorized or hereafter adopted.The state emergency response commission shall be responsible for the establishment of a state…

Specific responsibilities of the military department include, but are not limited to, the following duties:(1) Receive and record verbal emergency toxic chemical release reports through the twenty-four-hour duty officer system and make appropriate notifications. Track and maintai…

Specific responsibilities of the department of ecology include, but are not limited to, the following duties:(1) Serve as advisor to the commission on emergency spill response and environmental restoration issues.(2) Serve as advisor for emergency responder equipment and training…