A county subcommittee recommended on July 21 that Clallam County allocate its available $156,807 in Title 3 Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funds to five projects focused on wildfire response, search-and-rescue and community wildfire prevention.

County staff said five project applications totaling roughly $263,729 were received and that a RAC (revenue advisory committee) subcommittee used scoring criteria adapted from a previous USDA wildfire-defense grant to prioritize awards. The subcommittee recommended full or partial funding for four smaller equipment and training requests and a partial award to a pilot Firewise community enrichment program.

Recommended awards presented to the board were: $10,000 to Clallam County Fire District 5 for a trail-rescue kit and training materials; $10,805 to Fire District 6 for dry suits for swift-water search and rescue; $10,350 to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office to buy ICOM radios, batteries and other search-and-rescue gear; $47,429.71 to Fire District 2 for a fire-rescue UTV; and $78,222.29 to Fire District 3 for a Firewise community enrichment pilot. The Firewise request originally exceeded available funding; the subcommittee recommended partially funding discrete pilot activities.

County staff said the subcommittee deliberately excluded funding for drones and satellite services in the sheriff’s-office request, citing concerns about Federal Aviation Administration certification, sustainability for maintenance and the grant’s intent to support work on federal lands. The subcommittee recommended funding ICOM radios and other items designed for dense forest and federal-lands operations instead.

The SRS Title 3 statute requires a 45-day public comment period and notification to the appropriate federal RAC. County staff said they would publish notice in the Peninsula Daily News and on the county website and return to the board with final allocations after the comment period; a final action date is scheduled for Sept. 25, 2025. Commissioners were also advised that the account currently contains all reserves and that if the board approves full recommended awards it will require a budget action (a debit to the account) to disburse the full recommended amount.

The subcommittee said members took proactive outreach steps, presenting to operational regional meetings to encourage applications. County staff and one commissioner praised the committee’s rigor and outreach.

Commissioners asked about sustainability for the Firewise pilot; county staff said future sustainability could include applying for USDA wildfire-defense grants once a community wildfire protection plan is completed and noted Title 3 funding availability for future years remains uncertain.

The board agreed to publish the required notice and to consider final action at the September meeting.