About KB Tenacious Emergency Support Foundation

How we started

In 2021, during a significant flood in Skagit County, WA, I loaded my car with medical supplies I purchased out of my own pocket and drove to the edge of a small community to help anyone who needed it. No organization behind me. No official role. Just medical training, a deep sense of what was right, and a willingness to stand in the rain until the job was done. A few community members noticed and came to help, one brought a tent so I would stop getting soaked. That moment, strangers becoming a team because someone decided to show up, never left me.

What I also witnessed during that disaster was the chaos of information. People scrambling through Facebook groups hoping they were in the right one, trying to find out if roads were passable, if their family across town was okay, if help was on the way. There was no central place to look and no one accountable for getting clear, honest information out to the people who needed it most.

That is the problem KB Tenacious Emergency Support Foundation was built to solve. KBT-ESF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Toledo, WA, serving rural communities across Washington State. We provide real-time disaster field reporting, rural welfare checks, missing-person intelligence support, family assistance during emergencies, and a free hazard map and app, so that anyone, regardless of which group they belong to, can get the information and support they need when it matters most.

We are starting from the ground up. The website, the app, the interactive hazard map, the licenses, the insurance, have all been funded privately with a belief in doing the right thing. My background in medical training, fire response, private investigation, and community support gave me the tools. My upbringing, built on honesty, standing for what is right, and showing up for others, gave me the reason.

We need your support to keep going. Your donation, any amount, goes directly toward keeping this organization operational, our tools maintained, and our team in the field where they are needed.

We are not a large organization with deep pockets. We are your neighbors, showing up because someone has to, and because it is the right thing to do.

Breck R. Williams

Founder, KB Tenacious Emergency Support Foundation

Toledo, WA | kbt-esf.org

Community members assisting during 2021 Skagit County flood response

Self-funded. Self-deployed. November 2021.

Strangers became a team. November 2021.

Who We Are

KB Tenacious Emergency Support Foundation (KBT-ESF) is a nonprofit providing non-medical, non-law-enforcement emergency support, and serving communities. Built from firsthand experience with flooding, rural isolation, and emergency response challenges, the foundation exists to fill critical gaps in real-time information, family support, and rural resilience.

We specialize in disaster reconnaissance and community support, gathering accurate, field-verified information during storms, floods, and other emergencies. Our work includes disaster condition reporting, welfare checks for vulnerable residents, flood-impact assessments, missing-person information support, and basic lay-responder assistance within training and safety limits.

KBT-ESF is not an emergency response agency and does not replace law enforcement, fire responders, EMS, or search-and-rescue services. Our role is to observe, document, report, and support, helping strengthen the bridge between communities and official responders when minutes matter, and blind spots can cost lives.

The foundation’s initial startup costs were privately funded by its founder through a separate, for-profit business. While the organizations share a similar naming structure, they are legally and operationally separate entities. KBT-ESF does not conduct private investigations or law enforcement. When someone goes missing, in a disaster or any other time, we help families communicate with police and get their paperwork, timelines and files in order.

KBT-ESF was founded by Breck Williams, drawing on experience in public-safety-adjacent environments and community support, with an emphasis on integrity, safety, coordination, and public trust.

We operate in coordination with official responders, not in place of them. For detailed operational guidelines, see our FAQ.

KBT-ESF field operations in rural Washington

Leadership & Governance

KB Tenacious Emergency Support Foundation (KBT-ESF) is governed by a board of directors. Leadership oversight emphasizes safety, transparency, and mission-aligned operations.

Breck Williams - Founder & Executive Director
Krysten Williams - Vice President
Kenneth Schneider II - Weather Intelligence Liaison (Remote)
Nick Thweatt - Board Member
Additional directors and advisors appointed as needed to support operational capacity and community needs.

KBT-ESF maintains documented operating procedures and clear boundaries to support responsible coordination with public agencies and community partners.