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.
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
Damage Assessment
Emergency Operations Center
Flotilla
Public Safety & Security (Police)
Severe Weather Shelter
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
Ready Congregations
Tech Ops
Emergency Response Teams
Child Safety & Reunification
Community Emergency Response (CERT)
Disaster Hubs Management
Domestic Animal Care
Emergency Auxiliary Radio Service
Interpretation—Limited English Proficiency (LEP)
Logistics
Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)
Psychological First Aid
Water Resources
Wellness
Wilderness First Responders
Winter Storm Transportation (BIGWEELS)
As of Q3:2023, teams are staffed by 725+ trained and background-checked volunteers.
Here is our organizational chart as a downloadable PDF (version 5.3).
JOURNALISTS: HERE IS YOUR QUICK REFERENCE FACT SHEET!
Going beyond the Island
We’re often asked by other cities throughout the country how to replicate the Bainbridge Prepares organizational model in their area.
Please review this video from our Founder Scott James with suggested best practices for doing so, as well as our organizational structure and details on individual teams, and then reach out to us with any additional questions. We’d love to help!