Emergency Management

The Tulalip Tribes Office of Emergency provides a wide-range of services and programs to help tribal members and the residents of the Reservation prepare for and be able to recover from disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, hazardous materials spills and terrorism.

Our purpose is to provide:

• A leadership role in facilitating and coordinating a regional approach to emergency planning and response on the Tulalip Reservation and surrounding communities.
• Guidance and coordination in the planning, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts of the Tulalip Reservation before, during, and after an emergency or disaster.
• Acquire, allocate and coordinate the appropriate resources in response to emergencies of disasters.

The Tulalip Tribes is engaged in a wide variety of planning activities to better prepare, respond, recovery and mitigate disasters.

The Tulalip Tribes Office of Emergency Management has an active Tribal CERT program to help Tribal members and employees protect themselves, their families, friends and neighbors during an emergency or disaster. To find out about upcoming classes or to volunteer, please contact or visit us.

Tulalip CERT teams are groups of neighborhood and community-based volunteers that undergo an intensive, 11-week training program in disaster preparedness and basic response skills. Several of the topics include Fire Safety, Search and Rescue, and Disaster Medical Operations. After completing training, these teams act to support the local community by assisting the various emergency agencies that prepare for and respond to disasters.

As a rule, emergency services personnel are the best equipped to respond to emergencies. However, following a catastrophic disaster, CERT teams can handle initial emergency recovery while they wait for professional First Responders.

During non-emergency situations, CERT teams educate their communities on emergency preparedness.

CERT Mission Statement

The Tulalip Tribes Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program trains neighborhood and community-based volunteer teams to:

• Inform, educate, and train their neighbors about disaster preparedness
• Assist public safety agencies and local community boards with public events
• Respond to local disasters in accordance with CERT protocols and support emergency personnel upon their arrival and request
• Assist agencies in managing spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site

For more information on CERT in this area, please email, tulalipcert@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

The Tulalip Office of Emergency Management (OEM) relies on accurate geographic information for virtually all of its emergency response and planning operations. Through its Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program, Tulalip OEM can easily map and access data - from flood zones and local infrastructure to population density and road closures - before, during, and after an emergency. Tulalip OEM works closely with the Tulalip Tribes GIS Department and the Tribe's Natural Resources Department in order to have the most accurate and up-to-date data on the natural and human environment.

What is GIS?

GIS can combine many layers of different information, creating products that are much more sophisticated than flat maps. By linking maps to databases, GIS enables users to visualize, manipulate, analyze, and display spatial data. For decision-makers, GIS can be valuable in helping determine the best location for a new facility, analyzing structural or environmental damage, viewing similar events in a neighborhood to detect a pattern, and so on.

How Does GIS Help the Tribes?

During emergencies, GIS enables emergency managers to quickly access relevant data about an affected area.

GIS is also a valuable planning tool. Vulnerable populations can be identified and plotted in order to prioritize assistance. Hazard prone areas, such as a tsunami-inundation zone can be identified and then all the people in homes and businesses can be identified.

After an emergency, GIS can help recovery workers assess and map homes that are damaged, plan reconstruction of an area, and determine which property owners qualify for grants or loan programs, among other recovery-related issues.

For more information about GIS please visit https://maps.tulaliptribes-nsn.gov/.

• Snohomish County Dept. of Emergency Management
• Region One Homeland Security Council
• Washington State Emergency Management Department
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Department of Homeland Security
• Governor's Office of Indian Affairs
• Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management (DEM)
• Prepare in a Year
• Ready Indian Country
• Ready Kids!
• Prepare Your Pet
• Shake Alert