CLALLAM COUNTY – Clallam County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has to move. Few if any people dispute that. It was established in the lower level of the Courthouse decades ago to outdated safety standards and technology capabilities, at a time when a cold war nuclear attack was considered the most imminent threat. These days, the threat of most concern is a major earthquake, and having the EOC sitting in a basement in a tsunami zone just doesn’t work.

On Monday, County Commissioners hosted a work session on the subject that was more like a summit meeting, bringing together members of law enforcement, fire districts, tribes and county agencies to talk about how and where to relocate.

Sheriff Bill Benedict got things going by saying that he thought the best location was somewhere near Fairchild Airport.

John Nutter from the Port said they had several spots that could work as building sites, and was even ready to talk about a lease estimate.

There appeared to be a lot of consensus for the idea. Port Angeles Fire Chief Ken Dubuc stood up to make a case for combining City and County emergency services in one facility with shared staff, and added that we might want to look at bringing in 911 dispatch while we’re at it.

County Commissioners and concerned parties must now work together to come up with a shared vision and find a way to break it down into what Bill Peach referred to as “actionable steps”.

It’s a move that everyone seems to agree is necessary, just as they agree that, when it comes to The Big One, we’re all working under a ticking clock.