Imagine that in July, a heat wave strikes Kitsap County and temperatures soar to over 100 degrees for days.

Then, the region suffers a major earthquake that brings down trees that block major roads. Power lines fall, igniting brush fires and shutting off electricity to homes and businesses.

Such a crisis would trigger the county’s Department of Emergency Management to gather supervisors from offices like the power company, law enforcement and first responders. Together the agency heads would devise a plan to deal with the emergencies.

KCDEM opened a new headquarters this month that will operate during catastrophes such as that hypothetical one and during heavy snow and windstorms. The emergency center is housed in an industrial park next to Bremerton National Airport. The new center has advantages over the previous one used for nearly 20 years, KCDEM director Jan Glarum said.

“It is a critical facility. We basically reengineered the existing steel structure of the building so we will be able to operate if there is a major earthquake,” Glarum said, adding the center is on a geographically stable plateau to reduce the chance of the structure being damaged during a seismic event.

The EOC, at 8900 Imperial Way SW, is situated in the middle of major transportation hubs. “A good portion of our job in any disaster boils down to logistics. We may need (to bring in) items to support our first responders, businesses and healthcare. We’ve got the railroad tracks right behind us. We’ve got Highway 3 right in front of us. And, we’ve got the airport. Those are all critical logistical modes that we will need in a disaster,” Glarum said.

Items that may need to be brought in if Kitsap is cut off from Puget Sound may include desalination equipment to filter salt water and make it drinkable, generators for businesses that provide food to continue operation and shelters for people.

The center is equipped with a communications system that allows local service providers to work together in-person or remotely, Glarum said.It was designed to ensure there will be continuity of government during a disaster. County commissioners and other county leaders have space to function should their work areas become unusable. 911 is looking to set up dispatch consoles in the building in the event their operators have to relocate, Glarum added.

The facility sits on a 3-acre parcel of land. The campus contains three buildings that provide room for training and storage. KCDEM uses hundreds of volunteers with various skills that come in handy during emergency situations – from search and rescue teams that look over collapsed buildings to amateur radio operators who assist if conventional communication systems go down. Those groups and several government agencies use the center’s training areas.

“Just about every police department is using the facility to train officers. Fire services are planning to use the open areas for training. We will be hosting one of our districts for training in the coming weeks,” Glarum said.

Recent times the EOC was activated include the windstorm that hit Kitsap and during snowfalls. Extreme emergency operations included when the 2018 tornado touched down in Port Orchard and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the tornado, the county emergency operation worked with police and fire agencies, along with search and rescue, to ensure everyone was accounted for. EOC staff also helped impacted folks apply for low-interest government loans to reconstruct their homes or businesses. “We were at the center of that hub to pull the right groups in at the right time,” Glarum said.

Site of the EOC was purchased in 2020 for $900,000 with federal CARES funding. The county spent $4.5 million to repurpose a warehouse. The project was underwritten with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, also known as the COVID stimulus package.

“We were activated for 2 1/2 years for the pandemic. That was like nothing we’ve ever experienced,” he added. KCDEM assisted with distribution of personal protective equipment and later the vaccine.