Published July 22 2014
An animated video produced by the city's Office of Emergency Management to increase awareness about disaster preparedness recently won an international award as the top entry in its category.
The International Association of Emergency Managers named "Ways to Survive" the winner of its Global Public Awareness Award for Division 1. This is one of two Global awards given for 2014 among 63 videos entered in the competition from across the globe.
The catchy, two-minute music video about a Sasquatch family shows people how to survive an earthquake, winter storm, power outage or terrorist event. The video was designed to reach a broad audience, as Bellevue's population has grown rapidly more diverse in the past decade.
"It is wonderful to have our department members within the Office of Emergency Management recognized on a much larger stage," said Bellevue's interim fire chief, Mark Risen. "I must admit I am not surprised, with all of the great talent we have on our team."
The purpose of the IAEM awards competition is to recognize and honor those who have made significant contributions to the field of emergency management. The public awareness awards recognize outstanding programs or public education products related to emergency management, homeland security and disaster preparedness.
More information, including future training opportunities, is available on the City's emergency preparedness page, the Office of Emergency Management Facebook page or the OEM Twitter page.