By Erin Hawkins

Sequim School District Safety Forum

In partnership with Sequim Police, Clallam County Fire District 3, Clallam County Sheriff Department, and City of Sequim

When: 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17

Where: Sequim High School auditorium, 533 N. Sequim Ave.

Admission: Free

Contact: Sequim School District, 360-582-3260

Sequim Gazette

Sequim School District plans to hold a safety forum to address a variety of safety issues and potential crises that could affect the Sequim community.

The forum runs from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, at the Sequim High School Auditorium, 533 N. Sequim Ave., and is free and open to the public.

Sequim schools superintendent Gary Neal said the forum is meant to target prevention, response and recovery methods in crisis management.

The forum is in partnership with the Sequim Police Department, Clallam County Fire District No.3, Clallam County Sheriff Department and the City of Sequim.

Sequim Police Chief Sheri Crain, Fire District 3 chief Ben Andrews, Sequim City Manager Charlie Bush and Brian King, Clallam County Sheriff Office’s Chief Criminal Deputy, will present how their departments work with the district during a potential community crisis.

“This is the first (the district) has done anything like this,” Neal said. “We’ve been working with fire and law for the past couple years and so we we’re having conversations about next steps, and we started talking about doing a forum.”

The district sent out a forum regarding safety to about 180 parents and community members, Neal said, to gauge what questions or interests community members have regarding safety.

“For (the school district), the survey is helping us with things that we want to find out from the community, what concerns they have, and then to provide information to them,” Neal said.

The forum will discuss prevention, response, and recovery protocols for some natural disasters, such as in the event of an earthquake or tsunami, as well as in the event of an active shooter.

“Our goal is to give an idea to the community about some of the practices out there and how we all work together in case of an emergency,” Neal said.

“We have to use all our resources to help out in case something happens in the community.”

The forum will feature presentations and a question-and-answer segment regulated by a moderator.

For more information about the safety forum, visit Sequim School District’s website at sequimschools.org or call the district office at 360-582-3260.

Clallam County Fire District No. 3 firefighter/EMT Lee Forderer, left, helps Lindsey Anderson, 6, of Sequim, with trying on some firefighting equipment at a back-to-school fair in 2014. Sequim Gazette file photo by Mike Dashiell