OEM Preparedness News - Summer 2025

City of Seattle, Washington sent this bulletin at 06/13/2025 08:51 PM PDT
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Keeping Your Property Safe: Tips from Seattle Fire and Seattle Public Utilities

FIRE PREVENTION

Outside: Secure business and garage areas by locking doors and windows. Clean up wastepaper, grasses, weeds, litter or anything that can burn from
around buildings. Trim shrubbery from doors and windows to improve visibility. Install motion-sensor exterior lights.                                                                               

Inside: Test fire and life safety systems, including fire extinguishers, to ensure they are
working and in compliance with codes. Develop and practice a fire response plan. Keep exit ways clear of items which could slow evacuation efforts

Additional tips for construction sites: Secure security fencing at construction sites. Store solvents, fuels and tools in a locked storage container or remove them from the job site when you are not using them. Remove trash and debris from the job site and try not to store excess materials. Secure doors and windows on structures when crews are not actively working on the property.

GUIDELINES FOR DUMPSTER RECEPTACLES

Lock your container: To prevent unwanted access to your containers, lock them and keep them in a secured area. Contact your contracted hauler account manager or Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) about locks/lockbars for extra security.

Check your container daily: Please note unexpected debris or illegal dumping and report it immediately.

Right size services to stop overflows: Overflowing containers can present a risk of fire/security issues and is not allowed in Seattle Municipal Code Contact your service provider or SPU to get information about updating your service levels.

Don’t leave containers on the street: If your containers are staged in the street, put them out and bring them back in as close to service time as possible.

Put up a warning sign: Put up a notice that your dumpster is for private use only and violators will be prosecuted.

For questions or to report illegal dumping: Apartment or Condominium managers, report it to SPU at 206.684.3000. Commercial customers, report it to your contracted hauler.

To find service and commercial contractor information visit SPU’s website.

To report it to Find It Fix it, download the App to your phone or report it online.

Be aware of fire hazards for devices powered by lithium-ion batteries, including electric scooters, electric bikes and more.
graphic of man attempting to repair a broken window air conditioning unit, graphic is in shades of green.

 

Getting #SeattleReady This Summer

Welcome to being well on your way into our typical Seattle summer of extreme heat one week and overcast the next. There are a lot of things happening nationwide now and throughout the summer. Whatever your plans, make sure to be aware of the hazards you could face and ask yourself who depends on you, and what would they need to make it through. 

Although we have barely started to feel the burn and rain is always on the horizon, the #SummerReady Ready.gov campaign is FEMA's first ever public education effort designed to reach all communities with simple, accessible and culturally competent messaging on extreme heat all summer long.

Being #SummerReady means understanding your risk of extreme heat and taking steps now to prepare.  

Tips for Everyone

  • Learn the signs of heat-related illnesses and ways to respond from the CDC. 
  • Fans alone aren’t enough in high heat + high humidity. Get inside in air conditioning or go to a public place like the library, museum, or shopping mall to beat the heat. 
  • NEVER leave children or pets alone in hot vehicles! Heat can rise in a car, up to 20 degrees in just 10 minutes. 
  • During extreme heat, check on family, friends, and neighbors who do not have air conditioning and who spend much of their time alone. 
  • Roughly 40% of unwanted heat buildup in our homes is through windows. Use awnings or curtains to keep the heat out. 
  • Use your oven less during extreme heat advisories and warnings so you don’t make your house hotter. 

To read the 3-month summer weather outlook visit NOAA's Climate Prediction Center!

 
2025 National Weather Service Summer Outlook, graphic of the USA with shades of orange covering the country demonstrating temperatures.
2025 National Weather Service Summer Rain Outlook, graphic of the USA with shades of orange covering the country demonstrating temperatures.

Get more detailed information about heat-related illnesses from the CDC and National Weather Service.

Being Prepared For Extreme Heat This Summer
graphic of woman with black hair sitting on a bench drinking water from a bottle with sunglasses hanging from her hand

Be safe during a heat event

Know the signs of heat-related illnesses and ways to respond. If you are sick and need medical attention, contact your healthcare provider for advice and shelter in place if you can. If you are experiencing a medical emergency call 9-1-1.

  • Take cool showers or baths.
  • Use your oven less to help reduce the temperature in your home.
  • If you’re outside, find shade. Wear a hat wide enough to protect your face. 
  • Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.
  • Avoid high-energy activities or work outdoors, during midday heat, if possible.
  • Check on family members, older adults and neighbors.
  • Watch for heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
graphic of a bird and cage, cat and dog with their carriers

Prepare Pets for Travel

When evacuating your home, it’s important to bring your pets. Because you may need to put your cat or dog into a pet carrier, it’s important that they’re comfortable with the experience. Follow these tips to reduce their stress:

  • Leave the carrier out in places your pet frequently visits
  • Leave the carrier open
  • Feed them treats near the carrier – you can even try putting a few treats inside the carrier
  • Add a favorite blanket or small bed inside the carrier so it smells familiar
  • Make note of where your pets hide, so you can easily find them in case you have to leave your house quickly.

Community Happenings in June

Laurelhurst Emergency Action Plan Free Training!!

disaster prep class on June 17, 7-8 pm St. Stephen’s, two homes with neighbors out front, male in wheelchair, woman helping push, male tossing trash

The Laurelhurst Emergency Action Plan in partnership with Seattle OEM is hosting a free Basic Disaster class on Tuesday, June 17th from 7PM - 8PM. Walk-ins are welcome however registration would be greatly appreciated! You can email your name to LEAPlaurelhurst@outlook.com or you can register here. 

This presentation provides an overview of the hazards that can impact Seattle, and steps that individuals and families can take to become more prepared to deal with them. This includes guidance on how to develop a disaster plan, build a disaster supply kit, and organize with your neighbors to become better prepared. The presentation also provides an overview of other OEM efforts including the SNAP program, Community Emergency Hubs, and the City's new alert and notification system, Alert Seattle.

Intended Audience: This presentation is intended for a broad array of audiences. This could include a business or non-profit organization looking to increase the personal preparedness of its employees. It could also include a community group looking to improve the personal preparedness of the neighborhood or people they serve.

Seattle Emergency Hubs Drill and Workshop

flyer with graphic of power outlets and sources with an x drawn across them, event title Unplugged, drill at Maple Leaf Park on 6/2 at noon2

 

Seattle Emergency Hubs Host a "Disaster Practice"

Imagine a massive power-grid failure leaving the entire Pacific Northwest without electricity. Now imagine this happens while Seattle is hosting the World Cup Games!

Emergency Hub volunteers will test their crisis-response skills under just those conditions.

  • Sunday, June 22, 2025
  • Noon to 4 PM
  • Maple Leaf Reservoir Park (SW corner)
  • 8204 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115

Please stop by, either to observe the action or to play the part of a neighbor in need. Your participation is vital! Hub volunteers need to "test their skills" under conditions simulating a real emergency. You can show up early or late, and you don't have to stay for the full drill. Play the part of someone needing to charge their cell phone, trying to get a message to a household member, or feeling the distress of a missing pet. The drill includes a "shift change"; a steady stream of "actors" will ensure the Hubs volunteers can test their protocols under conditions resembling a real-life emergency.

The Emergency Hubs are a grassroots organization dating back to 2008; its purpose is to gather and share information and to match needs and resources in the event of a disaster or other crisis. The Hubs are locations where neighbors and community members can gather to begin helping themselves before outside assistance arrives. The Seattle Hubs comprise more than 136 designated gathering points throughout the city of Seattle; over 70 of these are "staffed" by neighborhood volunteers ready to activate in the event of a disaster.

Visit www.SeattleEmergencyHubs.org for more information.

 

What's Happening This Summer

Safety During Pride

LGBTQIA+ PRIDE Celebration Safety tips Have a buddy or be in a group. Stay hydrated and bring snacks. Move with a crowd, not against it.
Fireworks safety in text with fireworks in background

Each July 4th, thousands of people, most often children and teens, are injured while using consumer fireworks. Despite the dangers of fireworks, few people understand the associated risks - devastating burns, other injuries, fires, and even death.

Check out this blog post from Seattle Fire on use of personal fireworks in Seattle and King County. 

Personal use of fireworks are banned in Seattle - find other ways to celebrate the 4th of July safely - Fire Line