The Peter Kirk Elementary School, “Map Your Neighborhood” event in Kirkland has been recognized for its exemplary community preparedness effort and was selected as a finalist in the category “Preparing the Public Award,” on August 10 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The announcement was part of the FEMA finalists for its 2010 National Citizen Corps Achievement Awards – Celebrating Resilient Communities.

The Kirkland event was chosen as a national 2010 finalist based on volunteer support for the vision and mission of Kirkland’s Office of Emergency Management and for local partnerships that help create a resilient community.

The Peter Kirk Elementary School, Map Your Neighborhood event was the result of a partnership between the City of Kirkland’s Office of Emergency Management, under the leadership of Emergency Manager, Helen Ahrens-Byington; Peter Kirk Elementary School, under the leadership of Principal, Sandy Dennehy; local volunteers, under the leadership of Kirkland resident, Liv Grohn; and Puget Sound Energy.

As a finalist, this event also exemplifies excellence in community emergency planning, fostering successful public-private partnerships, prioritizing collaboration, demonstrating creative and innovative local problem solving and implementing sound programs that can be modeled for use by other communities.

Award winners will be announced in September as part of National Preparedness Month. They will attend a Community Resilience Roundtable in Washington, D.C., with national leaders in emergency management, including FEMA, the National Emergency Management Association, and the International Association of Emergency Managers. Led by FEMA’s Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps, National Preparedness Month is held each September to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and communities.