About IOSA
At its most basic, IOSA is three things: people, equipment, and knowledge. When combined, they form an effective, responsive, and locally focused resource in the islands.
IOSA’s History
In 1985, oiled birds and clumps of black oil began washing ashore in Mosquito Pass and Westcott Bay on the west side of San Juan Island. Mainland response agencies were unable to respond during the critical first 24 hours and island residents, who could only watch as the oil impacted shoreline and wildlife, were left with a new awareness that we must be prepared to provide necessary resources for initial response (within three hours) on our own.
The source of the oil was never discovered but with that incident, community members began to organize and the Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) came into being.
By the beginning of 1988, IOSA was ready and responding to spills, with more than 100 community members trained, non-profit status and equipment acquired, operational logistics developed and approval from the United States Coast Guard and Washington state agencies obtained.
Over the years, IOSA had been called out to investigate a spill or a potential spill many hundreds of times, with well over a hundred of these calls requiring the next level of response beyond assessment- including containment, clean-up, or prevention of a spill through removal of a source.
With two full time paid staff, a team of committed volunteers, and a volunteer Board of Directors, IOSA is going strong today. Funded through a unique partnership between residents, local and state government, and private industry, IOSA’s approach is designed to ensure support to the islands for many years to come.
