WASHINGTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Washington County broke ground on a new Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on Oct. 14 in Fayetteville.
County officials as well as first responders were at the groundbreaking event for the new building, which will soon be the new home of the Washington County Department of Emergency Management (WCDEM).
“The Department has been moved around the county for a number of years now due to space considerations, but today we announced plans to bring them home so they'll have the facility they deserve,” said Washington County Judge Patrick Deakins.
The county said the building will be constructed on Brink Drive in Fayetteville adjacent to the road department.
Principal at WER Architects John Langham said the building will be constructed to withstand severe weather events. He added the group has designed a variety of Emergency Operations Centers, including the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management Facility in North Little Rock.
“This is an emergency operations center, so it's a hardened facility, meaning it's designed to structural standards for tornado-resistant design,” Langham said. “It's got emergency generators, it's got redundant mechanical systems, so if a national disaster were to occur, the facility could continue to operate without missing a beat.”
The county added that having a central location for the Department of Emergency Management will increase communication resource management and inter-agency collaboration during times of crisis.
Deakins said the building will also be utilized when disasters are not occurring.
“We have great tools and great spaces in here to do training, come together, share knowledge, and become better as first responders, which is the ultimate goal of this facility,” Deakins said.
When a disaster strikes, WCDEM assigns duties to local first responders. WCDEM Director John Luther said this new building will help them better coordinate in the future.
“The way we manage those resources is collectively deciding what the priorities are, where we send fire trucks, law enforcement, ambulances, water rescue teams, just whatever the need may be,’ Luther said.
Construction on the building is expected to be completed by Summer 2025. Deakins said the new building will be beneficial to all Washington County residents.
“Whether we serve in different departments, we wear a badge, or we don't, we drive a fire truck or don't, we're one Washington County,” Deakins said. “We want to give those citizens the top service, this is just another example of how we can come together and do great things.”
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