The Samish Indian Nation has been responding to emergencies in the community since time immemorial, continually adapting its approach to meet the challenges of the day and the changing needs of the tribe. Today, the tribe acts as an emergency response agency and emergency management organization operating under its constitution to protect the health, safety, welfare, and education of the Samish people.
The tribe’s emergency management goal is to protect Tribal citizens, staff, and others at tribal facilities and properties by facilitating the coordination and integration of activities necessary to build, sustain, and improve the Tribe’s ability to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters. Samish Tribal Council maintains an Emergency Operations Plan that documents the tribe’s NIMS emergency management framework. The Samish Public Health, Safety, and Emergency Response Team maintains the Samish All-Hazards Emergency Response Plan, which includes emergency response procedures, credentialing standards, and an inventory of response resources.
The Samish Public Health, Safety, and Emergency Response Team consists of nine staff members that oversee maintenance of the Samish All-Hazards Emergency Response Plan and management of response personnel and equipment.
Emergency Preparedness at Home
The Samish Indian Nation encourages a culture of personal and family preparedness. Please see our Emergency Preparedness website for more information.
Emergency Notifications & Office Closures
The Samish Indian Nation follows Anacortes School District closures/delays for emergencies and adverse weather conditions. You can sign up for Flash Alerts here to receive the most timely notifications directly from Anacortes School District.
In the event of an emergency, the Tribe will launch emergency notifications that will include text, phone, and email alerts.
Policies
As a founding member of the Northwest Tribal Emergency Management Council (NWTEMC) in 2005 (Resolution 2005-11-027), the Samish Indian Nation has led the way to cooperate planning for emergency management and response in the Pacific Northwest.
Samish Tribal Council adopted the National Incident Management System ("NIMS") by Resolution 2005-10-003 in October 2005, and reaffirmed NIMS by Resolution 2018-04-007 in April 2018.