Congressman helps fund emergency center

Published 3:34 pm Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Congressman Norm Dicks (D-6th District) announced the House Appropriations Committee has approved $800,000 in funding for the Clallam County Emergency Operations Center.

Dicks made the announcement during an Aug. 4 tour of the facility in Port Angeles.

According to Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict, the funds will be used to enhance and improve the operations center located in the basement of the courthouse.

Benedict indicated that time and technology have left the facility behind since its opening in 1981.

The funding enables local officials to improve the safety of citizens during natural disasters and other emergency situations by improving communications among responding agencies, according to a county sheriff’s office press release.

The improvements will benefit the various federal, state and local agencies that respond to emergencies in Clallam County, Benedict said.

Dicks is the No. 2-ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, having served on the committee since he first was elected to Congress in 1976. He is the chairman of the Defense Subcommittee of Appropriations.

Dicks is running for his own 6th District seat in Washington state primary. The first count of primary election ballots was Aug. 17.