South King Fire and Rescue has a plan in case of a disaster.

The department recently finished its part of a regional mitigation plan for King County. King County and SKFR previously submitted a plan that was accepted by FEMA in 2004. However, new plans must be created every five years.

In April, South King began working on its plan, which covers looking at how their stations, property, buildings and equipment would survive a natural disaster, like an earthquake. King County was the first in the country to put together a mitigation plan as a region, which is now the more common practice, SKFR Deputy Chief Gordie Olson said.

“For us it’s a matter of going back through the plan, going through issues and incentives just as a fire department,” Olson said.

Groups that put together a mitigation plan are eligible for an additional 15 percent of funds following a disaster for help rebuild faster. With mitigation plans, entities can apply for federal funding for mitigation — that means fixing things that need fixing.

“You are eligible for an additional 15 percent of funds that you normally receive to get back up to speed and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Olson said.

SKFR doesn’t have as many items on the list as other groups, like cities and counties, which must cover infrastructure such as roads.

The last time around, SKFR had two items on its mitigation plan: Training neighborhoods on what to do in an emergency, including getting them CERT trained, and an annual review of fire stations to check for earthquake safety.

This time around, the department also added an item. A review by a team of engineers found that a hose tower at station 66 is not earthquake safe. The tower was at one point used for training, However, now it is just used for hoses and is not considered an eminent issue. It is eligible for federal mitigation funds, so the department is going through the process of applying for government funds to have it torn down.

“It could help with the cost of it coming down,” Olson said. “The main thing is to make sure it’s safe for firefighters and public on the property.”

After the plan is submitted, it will have to undergo state approval in September, then FEMA will look at approving it in November.