Bainbridge Prepares is an educational nonprofit organization committed to ensuring Bainbridge Island, Washington and surrounding communities will be resilient in the face of natural disasters and other calamities. Since 2011, we’ve worked in partnership with the Bainbridge Island Fire Department (BIFD). The City of Bainbridge Island (COBI) joined our partnership in 2016.
Our journey to become the most prepared town in Washington state will only be successful with widespread citizen involvement and leadership. Please take a quick look through the list of Bainbridge Prepares Teams below and then learn more about our volunteer onboarding process; we’d love to have you! And be sure to sign up for our email newsletter to stay up to date on everything related to preparedness on the island.
Please meet our executive team:
- Bainbridge Prepares Executive Director Loren Bast heads up the Bainbridge Prepares organization.
- Bainbridge Prepares Program Director Christina Aitchison oversees our programmatic offerings.
- COBI Emergency Management Coordinator Anne LeSage watches over several agency-led committees for the city.
- Deputy Chief Jared Moravec represents BIFD in the partnership.
- Bainbridge Prepares Founder and Board Chair Scott James handles most of our outbound presentations.
Bainbridge Prepares maintains 501c3 status through a fiscal sponsorship with Kitsap Community Foundation. The Board of Directors consists of:
- Scott James, Founder/Board Chair of Bainbridge Prepares and Author of Prepared Neighborhoods: Building Resilience One Street at a Time.
- Roger Coulter, Chief Financial Officer at General Biodiesel
- Gilian Engelson, Public Health Professional
- Susan James, Clinical Social Worker and Wellness Coach
- David Kim, Interdisciplinary Technology Executive
- Matt Kress, Senior Manager, Veterans and Military Affairs at Starbucks
- Matt Otepka, Former Owner of Bainbridge Island Outfitters & Depot
- Laura Samant, Natural Disaster Risk Mitigation Specialist
We’re often asked for by others throughout the country how to recreate the Bainbridge Prepares organizational model in your own town or urban neighborhood. Please review the below video with our 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.