Emergency Management
Local Emergency Planning Committee
Mission Statement
The mission of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Local Emergency Planning Committee is to prepare emergency response plans for all hazards, whether natural or manmade, occurring in the community; and to establish procedures for receiving and processing requests from the public for information generated by SARA Title III reporting requirements.
The KPB LEPD
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Local Emergency Planning District (LEPD) is located in Southcentral Alaska. The LEPD has a population of approximately 50,000 increasing to 150,000 during the summer tourist season. The Kenai Peninsula Borough's economy is diverse with fishing, tourism, government, transportation, retail and the petrochemical industry. Major communities include Homer, Kachemak City, Kenai, Nikiski, Soldotna and Seward. These communities are connected by a state-maintained, paved two-lane highway system leading to Anchorage. There are numerous communities, such as Seldovia, that are located within the borough, but are not part of the road system. These communities also fall under the borough's and LEPD's planning responsibility.
Hazard Analysis: HIGH RISK
The borough has conducted a hazard vulnerability analysis that has identified the following hazards: earthquake, volcano, energy shortage, tsunami, fire, weather extremes, hazmat, flood, transportation accident and terrorism.
The LEPD covers approximately 25,000 square miles, approximately the same size as Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire combined (about half the size of the state of Washington). Much of the planning district is largely uninhabited. Fjord-like estuaries characterize large stretches of shoreline and a large percentage of the coastal areas are highly mountainous. Marshes are found in the northern portion of the planning district. Though much of the district is relatively pristine, offshore platforms, shoreline refineries, and oil and hazardous substance transportation routes (by water, rail, highway and pipeline) serve to threaten the generally high environmental quality of the area. The numerous industries make up a diverse economy that is particularly vulnerable to technological disaster.
The weather in Cook Inlet regularly generates storms with winds up to 100 knots and waves of 35 feet. The tidal currents can exceed six knots. There are ice flows in the winter that can completely close Upper Cook Inlet to vessel traffic.
Cook Inlet is dotted by 16 offshore oil/gas drilling platforms. In addition there is an oil refinery, and the only LNG producing plant in the North American continent. Also present are fish processing plants that can have present large quantities of ammonia, gasoline, diesel, and propane. The Nikiski area receives and ships the largest quantities of petroleum products, and in fact the greatest tonnage of waterborne trade, in Southcentral Alaska.
Reporting & Other Resources
Public Records Request
Meetings
The public is invited to attend all meetings.
2025 - Quarterly meetings generally held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month
January 15
April 16
July 16
October 15
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 – 9 a.m.
Location and Zoom Info T.B.A.
Primary Members of July 2024
| Ron Rogalsky, Chair | Public At Large |
| Peter Micciche | Elected Official, KPB Mayor |
| Michael Zweifel | Law Enforcement, Alaska State Troopers |
| Roy Browning | First Aid/Fire, Central Emergency Services |
| Edgar Rojas | Hospital, Central Peninsula Hospital |
| Jay Teague | Community, City of Kenai Fire Department |
| Vacant | Community, City of Soldotna Police Department |
| Clinton Crites | Community, City of Seward Volunteer Fire Department |
| Steve Vinnie Catalano, Vice-Chair | Public Environmental Response, Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council |
| Leonard Dickerson | Operator of Facilities, Hilcorp Alaska LLC |
| Jeff Bouschor | Public Environmental, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge |
| Mark Ball | Tribal, Seldovia Village Tribe |
| Brenda Ahlberg | Disaster Planning, KPB Office of Emergency Management |
| Matt Wilson | Media, KSRM |
| Sam Satathite | Operator of Facilities, Marathon Refinery |
| Trent Burnett | Fire/EMS, Nikiski Fire Department |
| Kathy Romain | Public At Large |
| Greg Russell | Public At Large |
| Eric Wilcox | Public At Large |
| Eric Schultz | Public At Large |
| Amanda McKinley | Health, State of Alaska Public Health |
| Pam LaForest | Community, Red Cross of Alaska |
| Brandon Kyle | Community, The Salvation Army |
| Jon Marsh | Public Fire/EMS, Western Emergency Services |
| Sean Montgomery | Transportation, State of Alaska Department of Transportation |
OEM Home
The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has the primary day-to-day area-wide responsibility for natural and human-caused disaster management, community preparedness and mitigation planning programs and activities. Visitors to our site can view disaster response and mitigation plans, preparedness information, and other important information. The OEM also coordinates the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), which meets quarterly.
READY, SET, GO!
Get to know the Ready, Set, Go! Preparedness and Response Program, including joint information from wildfires to flooding at info.kpb.us.
OEM Home Mock
The Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB) Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has the primary day-to-day area-wide responsibility for natural and human-caused disaster management, community preparedness and mitigation planning programs and activities. Visitors to our site can view disaster response and mitigation plans, preparedness information, and other important information. The OEM also coordinates the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer program.
Register for KPB Alerts to receive critical information during emergencies by telephone, text and posting on social media to residents in the affected area.
Hot Topics
KPB Alerts testing August 15, 2018. We welcome your feedback as part of this process. If you experienced any difficulty receiving or understanding the call, or if you successfully received the message, please fill out our comment form.
KPB Joint Information Center for multi-agency incident information
Be prepared, Plan Ahead for Disasters - click on the images below for more information
Information Links
511 DOT Road Conditions
Recent History of Local Emergencies & Disasters
Soldotna Public Safety Communication Center
Pets and Animals
Preparing for emergencies should include preparing for your pets.
Make a Plan
Remember, during a disaster what’s good for you is good for your pet, develop your plan and get them ready today.
If you leave your pets behind, they may be lost, injured – or worse. Never leave a pet chained outdoors.
Plan options include:
- Create a buddy system in case you’re not home. Ask a trusted neighbor to check on your animals.
- Identify evacuation destination for your pet. For public health reasons, many emergency shelters cannot accept pets.
- Have your pet microchipped and make sure that you not only keep your address and phone number up-to-date, but that you also include contact info for an emergency contact outside of your immediate area.
- Most boarding kennels, veterinarians and animal shelters will need your pet's medical records to make sure all vaccinations are current and keep records in your go kit.
- If you have no alternative but to leave your pet at home, there are some precautions you must take, but remember that leaving your pet at home alone can place your animal in great danger!
Tips for Large Animals
If you have large animals such as horses, cattle, sheep, goats or pigs on your property, be sure to prepare before a disaster.
- Ensure all animals have some form of identification.
- Evacuate animals whenever possible. Map out primary and secondary routes in advance.
- Make available vehicles and trailers needed for transporting and supporting each type of animal. Also make available experienced handlers and drivers.
- Ensure destinations have food, water, veterinary care and handling equipment.
- If evacuation is not possible, animal owners must decide whether to move large animals to shelter or turn them outside.
Take extra time to observe livestock, looking for early signs of disease and injury. Severe cold-weather injuries or death primarily occur in the very young or in animals that are already debilitated.
Animals suffering from frostbite don’t exhibit pain. It may be up to two weeks before the injury becomes evident as the damaged tissue starts to slough away. At that point, the injury should be treated as an open wound and a veterinarian should be consulted.
Make sure your livestock has the following to help prevent cold-weather problems:
- Plenty of dry bedding to insulate vulnerable udders, genitals and legs from the frozen ground and frigid winds
- Windbreaks to keep animals safe from frigid conditions
- Plenty of food and water
Build a Kit
Include basic survival items and items to keep your pet happy and comfortable. Start with this list, or download Pet Emergency Go Kit to find out exactly what items your pet needs to be ready.
- Food. At least a three day supply in an airtight, waterproof container.
- Water. At least three days of water specifically for your pets.
- Medicines and medical records.
- Important documents. Registration information, adoption papers and vaccination documents. Talk to your veterinarian about microchipping and enrolling your pet in a recovery database.
- First aid kit. Cotton bandage rolls, bandage tape and scissors; antibiotic ointment; flea and tick prevention; latex gloves, isopropyl alcohol and saline solution. Including a pet first aid reference book is a good idea too.
- Collar or harness with ID tag, rabies tag and a leash.
- Crate or pet carrier. Have a sturdy, safe crate or carrier in case you need to evacuate. The carrier should be large enough for your pet to stand, turn around and lie down.
- Sanitation. Pet litter and litter box if appropriate, newspapers, paper towels, plastic trash bags and household chlorine bleach.
- A picture of you and your pet together. If you become separated, a picture of you and your pet together will help you document ownership and allow others to assist you. Add species, breed, age, sex, color and distinguishing characteristics.
- Familiar items. Familiar items, such as treats, toys and bedding can help reduce stress for your pet.
Plans
Plans and Guidance for Emergency Mitigation and Operations
Within the Kenai Peninsula Borough
Kenai Peninsula Borough Emergency Operations Plan
This plan is designed to provide general information about how the Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB) will conduct and respond during times of disaster.
Hazard Mitigation Plan 2024 Update
This Plan contains information about hazards that affect the entire Borough, as well as how those hazards may be limited to or potentially more extensive in certain communities of the Borough. It describes certain actions or projects that can be undertaken by individuals, community service organizations or local/State government to lessen, or mitigate, the effects of hazard events in the Borough. A table within the plan shows proposed actions or projects that will accomplish this mitigation and protect the Borough population. The major hazards addressed in the Plan are: earthquakes, river and coastal flooding, storm surge, erosion, wildfires, severe weather, volcanic activity resulting in ashfall or tsunamis, avalanches, landslides, tsunamis, and human-caused hazards. The 2024 Plan update began the process of incorporating cities within the Borough into a multi-jurisdictional Plan by including the cities of Seward and Seldovia. The next update cycle, which is required within five years, will incorporate the remaining four cities (Kachemak, Homer, Soldotna, Kenai), as well as any tribal entities that wish to join the Borough’s Plan. Partnering with the Borough in the Plan update and development creates a more efficient process: the cities frequently join with the Borough to fund and undertake mitigation projects that extend beyond city limits, which will be a more seamless process once they are part of the Borough’s Plan. Additionally, the cities will no longer be responsible for creating independent Plans, which helps cities that either inherently have small staff numbers or are struggling to return to pre-Covid staffing levels. The KPB 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan is part of the State’s multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2023 Update.
Community Wildfire Protection Plan
A Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) helps a community develop, clarify and refine its priorities for protection of life and property and critical infrastructure in the wildland urban interface. The CWPP brings together diverse local interests with a large base of knowledge to discuss their mutual concerns for public safety, community sustainability and natural resources. A CWPP can be used by FireWise program working groups, individual homeowners, fire departments, fire management personnel in natural resource agencies, and others involved in wildfire planning and mitigation efforts.
Interagency All Lands / All Hands Action Plan
The interagency “All Lands / All Hands Action Plan” is a wildfire hazard mitigation plan intended to reduce community and individual vulnerability to wildfire hazards before they occur. This plan is a collaboratively developed, interagency multi-year plan designed to augment the implementation of mitigation tasks and project in alignment with the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. Participating landowners include local, state, federal, private and tribal entities.
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