Solano County Board of Supervisors respond to grand jury report

Solano County agrees with a recommendation from grand jury that the communications center of the Solano County Office of Emergency Services needs a more “suitable location.”

Today, the Solano County Board of Supervisors will approve that response as part of the consent calendar for its regular meeting.

In April the Solano County grand jury released a report on their findings following a look into operations at the Office of Emergency Services.

The report noted that OES needs better radio communication equipment an a new building if it is to respond to emergencies and disasters with the highest possibility of success.

After grand jury members toured the OES office and communications center they reported that the department is efficient, well-managed and poised to handle emergencies in the county.

The grand jury reported a concern for “dead radio reception” due to radio signal interference caused by terrain, particularly in canyons and ravines and on waterways and recommend the county to treat it as a “high-priority item” and secure adequate funding for repeater towers, frequencies and associated equipment.

Additionally, the grand jury reported that the OES command center and communications center offices are located in a severe flood zone. On top of that, the building which houses the equipment and staff is considered unstable.

A county-owned site near the Clay Bank and Stanton Detention facilities off Clay Bank Road is one potential location for new housing of both the OED and the Sheriff’s Office communications center.

In a response to the grand jury, a response to be considered by the Solano County Board of Supervisors agrees that a new facility is needed.

The county is in the process of addressing the location concerns, according to a report from county staff.

In the response to the grand jury the Supervisors noted that they recently approved a contract with Dreyfuss & Blackford of Sacramento to provide master planning services for the Downtown Fairfield Campus, which includes the OES and communications center.

 “The work performed will include evaluating the needs of the command and communications center and present potential options for relocation,” according to the Supervisor’s response.

The Solano County Board of Supervisors meets at 9 a.m. today in the County Government Center, 675 Texas St., Fairfield.

June 8, 2015

The Reporter

By Melissa Murphy