FORT SMITH — The former National Guard Armory at Massard Road and Zero Street, home to a regional police training academy run by the Fort Smith Police Department, is being remodeled for use by Sebastian County as an emergency operations center.
Work began last week on upgrading the building to accommodate the center, which county Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Tonya Roberts said will take four to six months at a cost of about $750,000.
The work includes remodeling about 3,000 square feet of the 17,700-square-foot building for the emergency operations center, renovating the bathroom and showers, and upgrading electrical wiring and other utilities for the electronic equipment the center will need. The building also is getting a new roof.
Talks are in the early stages about consolidating Sebastian County and Fort Smith primary or backup 911 and radio communications systems, County Judge David Hudson said. Consolidation would make for more efficient and less expensive communications for the sheriff ’s office and the police department, he said.
The operations center will be where officials will gather to respond to disasters or other emergencies. Having the officials in one place allows for speedier and better coordinated response, Roberts said.
The armory also will provide space for training various emergency responders, such as emergency medical technicians and rural firefighters. Roberts also said officials can gather at the center for table-top exercises or to participate in video conferences.
Roberts said the county’s Office of Emergency Management received a $1 million federal grant to develop the emergency operations center. The office used the value of the armory, appraised at $250,000, as the local match for the grant, she said.
The county acquired the building from the state inNovember 2008, Roberts said.
The regional police training academy has been located at the armory since 2006, said Fort Smith police officer Wes Milam. Academy subjects include physical training, the law, procedures, defensive driving, firearms and field sobriety, he said.
Its 13-week courses are mandated by the state for certification of Arkansas law enforcement officers.
The regional academy can call on a number of instructors in the area from fire and police departments, the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Division and the Arkansas Department of Health.
Arkansas, Pages 13 on 11/24/2010