Fire Marshal warns of space shortfall as county considers architect study for EOC expansion

Marshall Moore, the county Fire Marshal, told commissioners that adoption of a county fire code and expanded fire marshal responsibilities will require additional inspectors and investigators and that the current Emergency Operations Center (EOC) facility has no office space to accommodate future hires. Moore presented five- and ten-year staffing projections and said even a modest inspection workload increase would exceed the office’s physical capacity.

Moore asked the court to authorize a spatial analysis and preliminary cost estimate from the county’s architect; staff reported a design-service fee of $13,000 plus up to $3,000 in reimbursables. "Our current facility, the emergency operations center, was not designed for additional staffing or operational demands in any way at all," Moore said. Commissioners debated timing and price volatility for construction but the court directed staff to move forward with contract preparation and to place the item on a future consent agenda for formal engagement.