In a light summer breeze on July 29, 2021, the Board of Larimer County Commissioners cut the ribbon on the new Larimer County Emergency Operations Center [EOC] facility.
The result of a cooperative effort by Larimer County, the Larimer Emergency Telephone Authority [LETA], the city of Loveland, and many other local partners, the new EOC was built for about half the cost of Larimer County constructing one alone. “We know the new EOC will continue to strengthen our abilities to respond to community disasters,” said Larimer County Commissioner John Kefalas.
Located between Loveland and Fort Collins, at 4872 Endeavor Drive in Johnstown, the EOC’s central location and proximity to I-25 allows quick access for federal, state, and local emergency management personnel and incident management. The new 25,000 square-foot facility will be shared by Larimer County, LETA, and the City of Loveland Emergency Management while also allowing space for other emergency and incident management personnel. “I want to thank everyone for their high-quality work on this facility because I know all the things inside this facility are going to be life-saving,” said Larimer County Commissioner Jody Shadduck-McNally.
Population growth in Larimer County, coupled with the demand for increased emergency management services, made replacing and enlarging the EOC necessary, which was previously located at the Larimer County Sheriff’s Administration Building.
The new EOC will allow much faster communication and emergency management response time for many types of emergencies, including floods and wildfires.
“It’s an opportunity for all of us to work together on these big emergencies that happen in our county. We know that natural disasters are not contained by municipal or even county boundaries. More often than not it takes multiple entities working together to share resources and respond,” said Larimer County Commissioner Kristin Stephens.
Other functions can now be more accurately performed from the REOC like hazard monitoring in the region, monitoring weather patterns and conditions, emergency preparedness, and recovery.
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