DAVIS COUNTY—When disaster strikes, law enforcement, first responders and cities jump into action to give people the help they need. Until now, the Davis County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) has been the central point coordinating efforts throughout the county but what they’ve been using isn’t adequate. Using a $15 million federal Coronavirus State Local Fiscal Recovery Funds grant, a new Davis County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is in the works to provide that much needed help in an emergency.

“It’s in the final design stages,” said Davis County Emergency Manager, Ember Herrick. “We expect to break ground in the spring with completion by the end of 2025.”

It will be on the DCSO footprint, she said. “The EOC will sit on the same complex as the DCSO adjacent to the helipad and across the street from the Cinemark Theaters.”

The 17,300 square foot EOC is designed to activate for large-scale disasters, she said. “During COVID we were using the DCSO auditorium but that is not what that was designed for. This will be a dedicated blue sky facility. Blue sky means it will be used for training and other normal everyday activities if nothing is going on.”

Davis County is the third largest county in the state. Herrick said. “And we didn’t have one (emergency center). This will be one of the safest buildings in the county.”

Some safety features of the new building will be an emergency generator to power the building when there is a sustained power outage, she said. “Geopiers-supported foundation to withstand earthquake shaking, Starlink satellite internet, phone, and radio redundant communications capabilities, and the latest technology to foster interoperability with our 15 cities and other regional partners.”

Herrick said the building also has natural lighting features. “It lets the daytime light in when we’re assisting with an event.”

The American Radio Relay League will work out of the facility as well, she said. “Ham operators that are active in disasters can communicate with our partners throughout the state and cities.”

The EOC will have a media staging room, said Herrick. “It’s a joint information center where the Public Information Officer (PIO) can get messages out to the public. I’m excited because we’ll have the latest technology in mapping and communication. As people report the damage to us it will show up on the dashboard. It’s countywide so we can see where the needs are and dispatch to the hardest hit areas.”

It’s not just in Davis County, she said. “Places like North Weber who have a small city office and an emergency impacts them and they need a place to work out of, they can work here. That’s a resource for them in a disaster.”

As the County Emergency Manager, Herrick takes the lead in a disaster. “We start local and grow. For example if Syracuse has a disaster we offer support if it’s something they can’t handle. They reach out to me with what their needs are.”

If the disaster exceeds the county they go to the state, she said. “If it’s operational we work out of that building.”

The EOC oversees individual cities, said Herrick. “There are 15 cities and we are here to help and support them unless it is countywide.”

The grant is part of the Rescue Plan Act to help states recover from COVID and to assist in disaster recovery, she said. “This is an eligible project. The government allocated $350 billion with a portion to go out to all states. Davis County got a portion of that and they’re using $15 million of it to build the EOC.”

It will be a great asset, said Herrick. “We are really grateful that the Davis County Commissioners and Sheriff Kelly Sparks have prioritized this project and believe it will be a valuable regional asset to help Davis County become the best prepared and most resilient county in Utah.”