Promulgation Signed - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

f!"}*ur*",t}AIIAGEI]ETITY/xtrntascouilrY KITTITAS COUNTY CEMP Kittitas County Sheriff's Office has limited resources and will attempt to provide messages inclusive of limited English proficiency audiences. This will be accomplished by utilizing certified interpreters to translate messages from English to Spanish. Messages will be posted on the Sheriff's Office's social media. The most frequent encounters with LEP individuals and families happen through public safety responders (fire, EMS, and Law enforcement) conducting routine response activities. Emergency alerts and notifications providing life-safety or public health and safety information are most often provided to specific areas of the county and their English and Spanish (LEP) populations for wildfires, severe weather with flooding events, and hazardous materials incidents. Additional types of emergencies and information provided through notifications and messaging related to public safety and public health are addressed in the Kittitas County Appendix - Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Response Plan. Kittitas County emergency preparedness outreach programs, activities, and educational materials to the LEP population, as well as those with disabilities, functional and access needs, are important to prepare individuals and families before an emergency of disaster strikes. Local organizations, agencies and industry contacts are used to partner with Kittitas County Emergency Management to provide emergency preparedness materials and information to LEP populations in the County. The After-Action Report (AAR) summarizes key exercise-related evaluation information, including the exercise overview and analysis of objectives and core capabilities; however, the AAR can also be used to capture and analyze key incident-related information throughout the phases of an incident. The AAR should include an overview of performance related to each exercise objective and associated core capabilities, while highlighting strengths and areas for improvement. Upon completion, the exercise evaluation team provides the draftAAR to the exercise sponsor, who distributes it to participating organizations prior to drafting a formalAAR. Elected and appointed officials, or their designees, review and confirm observations identified in the formalAAR and determine which areas for improvement require further action. Areas for improvement that require action are those that will continue to seriously impede capability performance if left unresolved. Several technological challenges repeatedly limit the effectiveness of public alerts and notifications in Kittitas County to include: o The success of WEAS or IPAWS messaging is often based on the number of cellular towers communicating with each other in a specific area. ln rural locations where only one or two cellular towers reach the affected location, the messaging can bleed over to unatfected areas or may not reach affected residents. . WEAS messaging is currently limited in the characters per message, which also limits the clarity and effectiveness of the information being sent. o The state does not have 24 hr. interpretation available through State EMD. . Locally, there are delays in getting a certified translator. November 2024 1 BASIC PLAN Page 44 of 63