About Us
Mission
To protect the communities of Yakima County by organizing, coordinating, and integrating all activities necessary to build, sustain, and improve the capability to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to, and recover from threatened or actual natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters. The mission of Emergency Management is to execute preparedness programming, plans, training, and exercises in order to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond and to recover from all hazards, disasters and emergencies in cooperation with our partners.
Organizational Structure
The Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management is governed by the Yakima County Emergency Services Council consisting of all three County Commissioners, and the mayor of each member jurisdiction. From that council, an Emergency Services Executive Board oversees the operations of the office. The executive board is comprised of a County Commissioner, four mayors, the Sheriff and the Emergency Management Director. The executive board meets quarterly to provide oversight and direction to the office. The full council is convened annually.
Member Jurisdictions
- City of Grandview
- City of Granger
- Town of Harrah
- City of Mabton
- City of Moxee
- Town of Naches
- City of Selah
- City of Sunnyside
- City of Tieton
- City of Toppenish
- City of Union Gap
- City of Wapato
- City of Yakima
- Yakima County
- City of Zillah
Our History
January 9, 1957, the Yakima County Civil Defense Council (consisting of the 14 communities in the County and the County Commissioners) approved a mutual aid pact by which the communities would assist each other in the event of a disaster. The council agreed each jurisdiction would contribute 25 cents per resident to support the County Civil Defense Office.
By 1983 the County Civil Defense Office was transformed by the County Emergency Service Council into the Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management. The updated agency was assigned additional collateral duties that included grant work, first responder training, and disaster planning. The office also serves as the coordinating agency with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Washington State Emergency Management Division.