Being redundant isn’t usually a good thing, unless you’re talking about an emergency response center that’s designed never to lose power or communication abilities. In that case, complete redundancy is the highest of compliments.
Sundt is nearing completion of one such facility for Pima County, Ariz.,: a $14.6 million emergency response center known as PECOC (Pima Emergency Communications and Operations Center) that will greatly improve communication and coordination between various public safety agencies in the county and City of Tucson. PECOC is being touted as a major improvement over older facilities of its kind because it provides centralized communications, dispatch, and public safety answering points to meet a variety of critical needs for the community. Fully redundant systems ensure that the mission critical facility is always functional – even in the case of a power outage, damaged fiber optic cables, severe weather event or other emergency. PECOC will go live this fall.
Sundt’s $14.6 million contract included a partial building demolition, remodeling, and building a 13,400-square-foot addition to an existing building. The completed 63,000-square-foot facility will house the 9-1-1 call center and dispatch operations of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and a consortium of fire districts that serve unincorporated Pima County, plus the Pima County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Emergency Operations Center. Backup dispatch facilities for the City of Tucson Police and Fire Departments and a backup Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition center for Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department Operations will be housed there as well.
Sustainability is one of the project’s top priorities. In order to help PECOC achieve LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, an energy-efficient overhead HVAC system with raised flooring is being used to heat and cool the facility. The team has recycled more than 75 percent of the project’s construction waste, including saving rocks that were in the original landscape and reusing them to create new gabion walls. Masonry walls inside the building were built by Sundt’s own crews.
PECOC is outfitted with state-of-the-art technology and security features including radio communications equipment and telecommunications infrastructure for a new regional public safety voice communications network, for which Sundt will install all of the cables. PECOC also includes high security fencing, a controlled access system and seismic bracing to prevent earthquake damage.