SEAW's 2019 recognition of Joyce Lem as Engineer of the Year, along with Paul Brailler, cites her current service as Chair of the Disaster Preparedness and Response Committee (DPRC), a joint committee with AIA Washington, ASCE, WABO, and other local Emergency Managers -- signatories to the WAsafe Memo of Understanding. Also cited: her service on the SEAW Seattle Board and organization of the Nepal seminar.

On April 17, 2017, Joyce Lem and other members of the SEAW Disaster Preparation and Response Committee attended as Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed Substitute Senate Bill 5185. The bill modified RCW 38.52.180, commonly referred to as the Good Samaritan Law -- amended to extend immunity from liability to professional and trade organizations that provide training and coordination of volunteer emergency workers. This means that SEAW, AIA Washington, ASCE, and WABO -- organizations that sponsor classes on ATC 20 post-earthquake and ATC 45 post-windstorm class safety evaluations of buildings -- have the immunity protection that individuals have when they serve as volunteer emergency workers.

About three years before the signing, the Disaster Preparation and Response Committee learned that State Attorney Robert Ferguson had issued an opinion that the Good Samaritan Law applies to individual volunteer emergency workers, but not to the statewide organizations that train and coordinate the call-up and dispatch of volunteers to perform ATC-20 / ATC-45 building assessments.

To correct this oversight in the Good Sam Law, long-time Disaster Prep/Response Committee member and past-Chair Paul Brallier launched a campaign to pass the legislation that eventually became SSB 5185.

At its October 2018 meeting, SEAW recognized Joyce Lem as a Life Member; and in June 2019 as Engineer of the Year.

Posted June 2018; updated June 2019