Emergency Management Meeting Honors Rothweiler’s Retirement While Addressing West End Preparedness

Published 1:30 am Thursday, May 21, 2026

The West End Operational Area Emergency Management meeting held Thursday, April 30, at the Congregational Church Fellowship Hall carried a festive tone as attendees gathered not only to discuss emergency preparedness issues but also to celebrate the retirement of Theresa Rothweiler, Emergency Management Assistant with Clallam County.

Rothweiler retired the following day after years of service supporting emergency management efforts throughout the county and the West End. In recognition of her retirement, attendees presented her with a large card signed by everyone in attendance and celebrated with a special meal featuring Sully’s onion rings and pickles.

The celebration was coordinated by Ed Bowen and Joe Wright, while the onion rings themselves were prepared by Sully’s Drive-In. Owner Bruce Guckenberg personally delivered the food to the meeting.

During the roundtable portion of the meeting, Rothweiler told attendees she would miss working with everyone and said it had been a pleasure supporting the many agencies and volunteers involved in emergency management across the region.

Forks Mayor Tim Fletcher thanked Rothweiler for her assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, sentiments echoed by several others in attendance. ARIES/HAM radio operator Joe Wright praised Rothweiler’s support for emergency communications on the West End, thanking her for helping secure needed equipment and improve communication capabilities.

Despite the celebratory atmosphere, the meeting also focused on preparedness and infrastructure concerns affecting the West End.

Officials reviewed upcoming overnight closures of the Hood Canal Bridge for repair work from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. on May 11-14, May 18-21, and May 26-28.

Emergency preparedness discussions included public information coordination, infrastructure updates, communications resiliency, and future training opportunities. Organizers announced a tsunami preparedness workshop is planned in the near future, while attendees stressed the importance of personal preparedness in the event of a major Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake.

It was emphasized that residents should be prepared to go at least 30 days without outside assistance, noting that more populated areas would likely receive aid first following a major disaster.

A wildfire resiliency workshop was announced at the Port Angeles Library, where agencies planned to present information on the Firewise program and wildfire preparedness. A similar workshop might be possible for the West End.

The role of public information officers during emergencies was discussed following a recent school lockdown in Forks. Participants expressed concern over the lack of a dedicated public information officer and discussed how incident command and public information responsibilities are coordinated among agencies. It was noted that schools often rely heavily on Facebook for updates during emergencies.

Attendees suggested adding public information officer coordination to a future city council agenda and discussed how local law enforcement and city officials typically handle post-incident communications.

Emergency communications capabilities were another topic. Participants discussed the value of HF radios with Winlink capability and voice-capable radio units as reliable backup systems in the event internet-based services such as Starlink become unavailable.

The expanding role of the Forks Food Bank as the West End’s emergency distribution center was also mentioned. Warren Johnson, Food Bank President, described the facility’s storage capacity for dry goods and refrigerated items, as well as its forklift-equipped loading capabilities serving six regional entities. The food bank was proposed as a future point of distribution for FEMA supplies and incoming emergency resources during disasters.

Additional updates included ongoing work at the Quillayute Airport involving the Conex building, discussions about the short-notice Bonneville power outage last month, ONRC generator needs, and local emergency response coordination.

Ryan Oberfranc, chief of Clallam County Fire District No. 1, updated the group on his transition into his new role, saying the department has remained busy with both fire calls and recent lockdown incidents.

The recent planned power outage coordinated by the local PUD and Bonneville Power Administration to remove a dangerous tree was also reviewed as an example of successful interagency communication.

Before the meeting concluded, Ed Bowen shared additional concerns for attendees to monitor, including a potential slide area forming near Lake Crescent at milepost 226.5 and issues involving the west abutment of the Elwha River Bridge.