About our partnership
The Bainbridge Prepares partnership has made Bainbridge Island the leading prepared community in Washington state. Our volunteer-led emergency preparedness network was voted the Volunteer Organization of the Year by the International Association of Emergency Managers in 2022.
Since launching in 2011, our 501c3 nonprofit has worked in partnership with the Bainbridge Island Fire Department (BIFD). The City of Bainbridge Island (COBI), which includes our town’s police and emergency management departments, joined our partnership in 2016.
Our shared mission is to ensure our town and surrounding communities will be resilient in the face of natural disasters. We view community preparedness through a lens of love rather than fear. Learn more in this presentation developed by our Executive Team about our unique partnership that we get to regularly deliver to audiences around the country. You may find this one-page overview of how you can replicate the Bainbridge Model useful to share with others in your community.
Voted the Volunteer Organization of the Year by the International Association of Emergency Managers
Emergency Management Strategic Planning Organizational Chart
Lead Agency
Preparedness Teams
Communication
Continuity of Governance
Infrastructure, Transportation & Logistics
Mitigation
Strategic Partnerships
Volunteer Management & Credentialing
Emergency Response Teams
Public Safety & Security (Police)
Emergency Operations Center
Damage Assessment
Flotilla
Community Emergency Response (CERT)
Disaster Hubs Management
(includes Interpretation, Domestic Animal Care, Wellness, and Severe Weather Shelter)
Emergency Auxiliary Radio Service
Partner Agency
Preparedness Teams
Community Risk Reduction (CPR, Stop the Bleed, Fire Extinguisher Training, Community Outreach)
FireWise Program
Emergency Response Teams
Department Operations Center
Emergency Medical Services
Firefighting
Multi-Casualty Incident Management
Search and Rescue
Community Nonprofit
Preparedness Teams
Access & Functional Needs
Business Continuity
Community Outreach
Food Resilience
Map Your Neighborhood
(includes Ready Congregations)
Emergency Response Teams
Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)
(includes Psychological First Aid)
Child Safety & Reunification
Logistics
TechOps
Water Sanitation Hygiene (WASH)
Winter Storm Transportation (BIGWEELS)
As of Q3:2024, teams are staffed by 750+ trained and background-checked volunteers.
Here is our organizational chart as a downloadable PDF (version 5.4).