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Witnesses back 'Spartacus' emergency-preparedness framework and Core3 regional site
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Summary
Testimony for HB 4,121 (called 'Spartacus') highlighted Core3’s regional training capacity and called for durable statewide coordination across agencies and resilience hubs; OREM described past grants and said the office is neutral on the bill while endorsing coordination goals.
The House Committee on Emergency Management and Veterans took public testimony on HB 4,121, a bill to create statewide emergency preparedness offices and authorities to coordinate emergency management across state agencies and local partners.
Ed Fitch, mayor of Redmond and chair of the Core3 partnership, said Core3 represents significant local investment and regional planning and that HB 4,121 would provide a clear path for communication and integration of local resources into statewide response. "Since 2020, local agencies have invested more than $3,000,000 to secure land use approvals and construct 21st Street," Fitch said, and noted Deschutes County contributed land valued at about $12,900,000 toward site development. He described the Emergency Coordination Center as a statewide training and response focal point with a total projected cost of roughly $31,000,000.
Chief Mike Krantz of Bend said Core3 would provide realistic, multidisciplinary training environments and improve interoperability across law enforcement, fire and other public safety partners — capabilities he said align with HB 4,121’s intent to strengthen statewide all-hazards preparedness.
Jamie Pang of the Oregon Just Transition Alliance praised the bill’s inclusion of community resilience hubs, but noted the version before the committee does not yet contain dedicated appropriations to fund the program and urged future funding. Tim Dooley of the Association of Oregon Counties said counties are statutorily responsible for emergency management and need state-level frameworks and funding to fulfill that role effectively.
Ed Flick, director of the Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM), told the committee OREM is neutral on the bill but described the office’s prior work: OREM awarded nearly 90 grants to community-based organizations and tribes and has used legislative and grant funding to support resilience hubs and individual assistance programs. Flick said HB 4,121 would bring pieces — training, pre-event mitigation, and individual assistance — into a coordinated statewide framework to better support local communities.
The committee closed the public hearing on HB 4,121 and scheduled follow-up as needed; no final vote was taken.
