Wildfire Response

As we face the threat of wildfires, City and Fire Department officials encourage all residents to be prepared. 

Emergency notifications, including wildfire response and evacuation orders, will be shared with the public by text or email messaging via Nixle. To register for Nixle alerts text 98110 to 888777 or visit the Nixle website at www.nixle.com 

Additional information on the City's Wildfire Emergency Response and Evacuation plan (Know Your Zone) is posted below.

Wildfire Mitigation Workshop
On August 12, 2021, City Emergency Management Coordinator Anne LeSage and Fire Department Deputy Chief Jared Moravec presented on how the Fire Department prepares for wildfire response, the Wildfire Response and Evacuation Plan for Bainbridge, and mitigation steps you can take at home. To watch the recording of the video click the following link: https://bainbridgewa.zoom.us/rec/share/J1yyRGtWPxxYOKqoLh3xG90khTlZDEG0LU_qJ2rdDSlS_fz5HZe1E8hm2oNIEbNE.ZGrFJ7AA09JbRUq_?startTime=1628814742000  (For the passcode, please enter: m8?FhB+x).

Wildfire Graphic

City of Bainbridge Island Wildfire Response and Evacuation Information 


Know Your Zone The Bainbridge Island Wildfire Response and Evacuation Annex was developed in partnership between the City of Bainbridge Island Emergency Management Coordinator, the Bainbridge Island Police Department, and the Bainbridge Island Fire Department. The purpose of this annex is to serve as a supplemental document to the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) that provides wildfire specific information and response procedures related to firefighting, evacuation, and emergency public information.
During a wildfire on Bainbridge Island, community members may be told to “prepare to evacuate” or be provided with “voluntary evacuation” or “mandatory evacuation” orders.  

- A "voluntary evacuation" order means that the threat to lives is not yet imminent but conditions exist or such circumstances may exist in the near future. It is “recommended” that people relocate to a safer location. 

- A "mandatory evacuation" order means that there is an imminent threat to life and property. People and their pets in the mandatory evacuation order zone(s) should evacuate as soon as they receive the order. 

Bainbridge Island has been divided up into 12 evacuation zones; making it extremely important for every resident to "Know Your Zone" (review the Evacuation Zone maps below). Real time information will be used to determine which evacuation zones need to be evacuated. Information regarding specific evacuation routes will be conveyed to the community based on the location of the hazard. Throughout the emergency, it will be necessary to continuously reevaluate the size and location of the danger area and, if necessary, advise the evacuation of additional areas. In general, evacuation routes will direct people to get away from the hazard area and to report to a temporary reception center or if off island evacuation is needed to head north on State Route 305 to the Agate Pass Bridge or to head to the ferry terminal in downtown.  

Traffic control points will be established as needed and assigned to a commissioned law enforcement officer to maintain an orderly flow of vehicular traffic out of the affected area(s). Traffic control personnel may be supplemented with Public Works staff and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers specifically trained in traffic management procedures. 

Additional resources