The Park City Police Department has begun discussions about possibly developing a facility to serve as an emergency operations center for the region.
Mayor Ryan Dickey and the Park City Council are scheduled to receive a presentation about the concept at a meeting on Thursday. A purpose-built, standalone emergency operations center does not currently exist in Park City. The one envisioned would essentially become a hub for a variety of functions critical to emergency response.
The concept appears to be in the preliminary stages, and further internal discussions are likely required before it could be brought back to the mayor and City Council for additional talks.
The discussions, if they advance, are expected to address funding possibilities and potential locations. Officials would also discuss the specific functions housed at the facility, such as incident command; support for canine operations; functions related to hazardous-materials responses and decontamination; the distribution of emergency supplies and triage operations; services related to the reunification of families; the expansion of response capabilities to wildfires; and the deployment of drones as well as “counter-drone” capabilities.
Police Chief Wade Carpenter drafted a report in anticipation of the City Council meeting that acknowledges that staffers are “not seeking funding, design direction, or project authorization at this time. The department remains in the early planning stages and has not developed a scope, timeline, or cost estimate.”
“As Park City continues to grow and regional emergency response demands evolve, the Police Department has identified the future need to evaluate and plan for a Regional Emergency Operations Center … The concept would provide a centralized location for emergency coordination, multi-agency training, specialized public safety operations, and disaster response functions. The facility would support daily operational readiness while increasing the region’s ability to respond to large-scale incidents, natural disasters, major events, and public health emergencies,” the report says.
It also says the Police Department sees a project as something that would be a partnership involving agencies like the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and the Park City Fire District.
It also appears future discussions could involve the development prospects for linking the emergency operations center to the community’s preparations for the 2034 Winter Olympics.
The police chief also mentioned the Games in his draft report. The passages state:
- “… We believe it is important to place this potential future need on Council’s radar as discussions continue regarding Olympic planning and related infrastructure investments. While no funding request is being made at this time, future opportunities associated with Olympic preparedness, regional emergency management, or public safety infrastructure could emerge and may warrant evaluation as the concept develops.”
- “Given the potential relevance of an (Regional Emergency Operations Center) to future large-scale events, we request that the Council keep this project in mind as Olympic planning progresses and as any Olympic-related funding streams are identified.”
Federal monies often flow into communities preparing for the Olympics, as was the case in the 2002 Winter Olympic era. Park City used monies from Washington, D.C., in the years before 2002 to develop the Old Town transit center, for example. Leaders see there being the possibility of securing funding for infrastructure projects as the state prepares for the 2034 Games as well. Much of the focus has seemed to be on transportation improvements before the Winter Olympics, but the police chief’s report highlights that the municipal government sees broader Games-related possibilities.
A potential location has not been finalized. Carpenter, in response to a Park Record inquiry, said the Fire District and the municipal government own adjacent land in the area of Round Valley, close to the Peace House. That ground could be considered, as could other, unspecified locations, he said.