High Desert, Calif., Emergency Operations Center Budget Skyrockets
By Joe Nelson, Staff Writer, San Bernardino County Sun (California)
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday [Dec. 6] agreed to increase the construction budget of the High Desert Public Safety Operations Center in Hesperia by 45 percent.
Tuesday’s approval by the board inflates the center’s budget from $11.5 million to $16.75 million. The additional $7.75 million will be to cover the cost of a $3 million crime lab for the Sheriff’s/Coroner’s Department and a $4.75 million 800-megahertz radio upgrade project.
In August, the board approved an initial budget of $727,000 to get the city of Hesperia, the lead agency on the project, started on design and environmental studies. The operations center will be housed in the Jerry Lewis High Desert Government Center on Smoke Tree Street.
“Construction of a Public Safety Operations Center in the High Desert will greatly improve the capability and responsiveness of our emergency responders, especially in the event of a disaster,” Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt said in a news release Tuesday.
The center will include a High Desert hub for the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, 911 call and dispatch centers for the county Fire Department and an Emergency Operations Center.
A need for such a center in the High Desert has long been recognized by the county. In 2002, an analysis of the county’s existing public safety communication system concluded it could not withstand projected future growth, and that the facilities were inadequate.
A subsequent analysis in 2007 concluded that existing communications facilities were subpar, according to a report prepared for the Board of Supervisors.
The center, scheduled for completion in 2013, can function either as a county-wide emergency operations center or serve High Desert residents exclusively should the Cajon Pass be closed due to earthquake, adverse weather or other disaster, said Tracey Martinez, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
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