Through the end of November 2025, Lakewood, University Place, Steilacoom, and West Pierce Fire and Rescue (WPF&R) will be working on completing an update to our Hazard Mitigation Plans in partnership with Pierce County Department of Emergency Management. The Hazard Mitigation Plan is a way for the West Pierce Emergency Management Coalition (Lakewood, University Place, Steilacoom, and WPF&R) to look at the hazards present within our area and how we can start to mitigate them to create a more resilient community. The Hazard Mitigation Planning process is a systematic way to determine the best means to reduce or eliminate the loss of life and property damage from the hazards present in our community.
The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 is a federal law that requires state and local governments to develop hazard mitigation plans that are FEMA approved in order to receive certain types of disaster assistance. Pre-disaster planning is a prerequisite for certain funding mechanisms under the Robert T. Stafford Act. (Read more here: https://www.fema.gov/blog/disaster-mitigation-act-2000-20-years-mitigation-planning )
As a part of our hazard mitigation planning efforts, we are seeking to gain input from the community. Please find a quick survey attached here that looks at the hazards in the West Pierce area and your priorities: https://forms.office.com/r/4pEvCfm62A
This survey will help us inform our hazard mitigation planning, and future emergency management planning.