Clallam County To Coordinate $6 Million DHS Grant
-Multi-jurisdictional "Olympic Loop:" Survivable, Self-Healing Information Network-
Release Date: October 7, 2003
Release Number: R10-04-08
Port Angeles, WA - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional Director, John Pennington, will present Clallam County with a check for $5,765,100 to fund Phase I of the Olympic Peninsula Safety Communications Alliance Network (OPS-CAN) Project on Thursday, 9 October at 2:00 p.m. at the Clallam County Courthouse (223 East 4th Street) in Port Angeles. According to Pennington, the Interoperability Communications Grant program is run by FEMA and the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) for demonstration projects that explore equipment and technologies to increase interoperability between emergency responders.
"Applicants were encouraged to explore innovative and inclusive approaches to enhancing interoperability within the public safety community," said Pennington. "Clallam County has engaged over 40 local, state, tribal, and federal partners (including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police) to collaborate on an advanced communications network with microwave and fiber optic cable to connect the entire peninsula."
Director of the Washington Emergency Management Division of the Washington Military Department, Glen Woodbury agrees. "This project will overcome huge barriers of terrain and distance to link together the fire services, law enforcement and emergency medical services of six Washington counties - Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason, Thurston and Grays Harbor," said Woodbury. "We see this project as the first step towards a statewide communications network that ties together local, state and federal emergency response resources."
The Clallam County Sheriff's Department is the lead agency for the project, and according to Clallam County Sheriff Joe Martin, the total projected cost for the "Olympic Loop" is $7,382,906, with FEMA providing 75 percent. "The grant provisions require a match-share equal to 25 percent of the grant request," said Martin. "Clallam County, Washington State and other non-federal partners have committed to providing over 28 percent."
Agencies expected to be on hand for Thursday's presentation event include the Washington State Emergency Management Division, FBI, FEMA, National Park Service, U.S. Coast Guard, Clallam County Board of Commissioners and representations from Washington's Congressional delegation.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 08-Oct-2003 07:45:11