Joint-operated Cal Fire and county sheriff dispatch center begins construction in Templeton 

SLO County broke ground on Oct. 9 and began work on a new co-located 24-hour dispatch center that will be shared between the Sheriff's Office and the county's Cal Fire division in Templeton, planned to be up and running in 2025.

"It's been a long time coming," SLO County's Cal Fire Public Information Officer Toni Davis told New Times with a laugh. "The county has had this in its plans for a long time, and everyone at both departments is excited and looking forward to 2025."

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• Photo Courtesy Of SLO County Sheriff's Office Facebook Page
• BREAKING GROUND SLO County's Sheriff Ian Parkinson, Fire Chief John Owens, and Supervisors John Peschong, Debbie Arnold, Bruce Gibson, and Jimmy Paulding attended the Oct. 9 groundbreaking ceremony for the county's new joint dispatch center.

Davis said the center—which is being built next to the current sheriff's sub-station off of Main Street in Templeton—will allow for easier collaboration and communication between the two emergency responders.

"Having two agencies in the same building is going to streamline the entire emergency response process," she said. "When you can hear everyone in the same room as you are responding to these crises it's a big deal."

The project is currently undergoing work on the early tower areas, underground utilities, and parking lot infrastructure.

SLO County's Capital Projects Manager Jennifer Caffee said the project is going to solve a major problem currently faced by emergency services in the region.

According to the county, the current dispatch centers for both the county's Cal Fire department and Sheriff's Office in North County are in two separate locations. In addition, county officials said that both existing facilities do not meet the basic standards of housing for 10-hour shifts and they don't comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act workspace requirements.

As a result, according to the county, a majority of the emergency responses in the region often suffer from a lack of proximity when agencies are coordinating efforts and—while emergencies are still handled at the same level they would be anywhere else—the county sees value in optimizing the process.

"Cal Fire is looking forward to the great relationships we are going to be able to build alongside our fellow emergency dispatchers," Davis said. "When you have a center like this, you are going to be able to increase our proficiency in getting to calls and helping people in need." Δ