At a public hearing on Sept. 23, the Clallam County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution to allocate federal Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Title III funds to local public-safety and community preparedness projects.

Diane Bobby, the county’s special projects manager, briefed the board on recommendations developed by a subcommittee of the Revenue Advisory Committee and county staff. She summarized the recommended awards: $10,000 to Clallam County Fire District 5 for a trail-rescue kit and training materials; $10,805 to Clallam County Fire District 6 for dry suits for swift-water search and rescue; $10,350 to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office for search-and-rescue connectivity upgrades and equipment (listed items included ICON radios and accessories, batteries, chainsaw and metal detectors); $47,429.71 to Clallam County Fire District 2 for a fire-rescue EMT program; and $78,222.29 to Clallam County Fire District 3 to pilot a Firewise Community Enrichment Program (the county does not currently have any Firewise community and this item is intended as a pilot).

Public testimony: Ed Bowen (resident) said he supported the proposals generally and submitted written comments through the formal 45-day public comment process. Bowen said he prefers equipment purchases to planning when funds are limited and urged the county to consider establishing reserves so that emergency costs can be covered when federal funding is paused or discontinued. “My biggest concern...is if this gets reauthorized ... what's the plan for the future? … I really do think the county should take a look at its own criteria of splitting the pot to make sure we have reserves,” Bowen said.

Board action: Commissioner motions opened the public hearing, accepted testimony and then closed the hearing. Following brief discussion the board moved to adopt the resolution authorizing the recommended Title III allocations. The resolution passed by unanimous vote.

Why it matters: SRS Title III is federal funding intended to support rural counties’ emergency and community services. The commissioner-approved allocations move the recommended projects toward procurement and implementation in the named fire districts and sheriff’s office, and include a pilot Firewise project intended to create a template for future community wildfire protection planning.

Next steps: County staff will proceed with contracting and grant administration steps to release the funds to the named recipients, and the board directed staff to continue tracking implementation and to consider Bowen’s point about contingency planning for future funding lapses.