NewsArizona Republic: Study Details Public-Safety NeedsStudy details public-safety needs
Kelly Carr
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 27, 2007 12:00 AM
Buckeye's communication center can't meet the demands of a growing Police Department or the town's population increases, even in the next five years.
The town would need to build a multilevel complex to hold around 100 employees to take care of its population 20 to 25 years from now.
Those are some of the conclusions of iXP Corp., a group that finds emergency-response solutions.
The town hired the company, based in New Jersey with offices in Scottsdale, to draft a communications master plan.
It's a project that would cost millions.
Buckeye Police Chief Dan Saban said it's money well spent.
Money spent to prepare for the future means Buckeye residents can have adequate fire and police protection.
"This is significant investment," Saban said. "After facilities, this is the next-biggest investment a city will make. We are covering over 600 square miles. Our decisions will not only have a local impact but a regional impact because of how big we will be."
The town must have a public safety plan for the 2 million residents officials predict could be living in Buckeye at build-out. The town's current population is about 30,000.
The consultant's Buckeye plan calls for a new public safety communications building and a new public safety radio system.
iXP's six-month study looked at both the fire and police departments' current operations and how they need to be upgraded for massive growth.
Now the group is figuring out the amount of money it would require over the next 20 years to make its suggestions a reality.
It's also developing a short- and long-term schedule to prioritize projects for Buckeye.
"We were hired to build the master plan for the city and to design a road map for them to prepare them to migrate to a state-of-the-art solution," said Lawrence Consalvos, senior vice president and general manager of iXP. "The public safety infrastructure, which includes the technology and the facilities, is crucial to the town's growth."
The plan states that Buckeye will need a major communications headquarters to serve all its new residents.
Currently, the town has a small public safety communications center situated in its Police Department, with about a dozen employees.
Those employees handle incoming calls, dispatch officers and provide fire assistance for the Tonopah Fire District.
They also transfer Buckeye Fire Department calls to a division of the Phoenix Fire Department to get residents help.
Over the years, as new technology was added to the center, the amount of available space has stayed the same. This means equipment and staff are cramped. Telephone and radio cables are easily damaged.
"We have some real hazardous issues going on," Saban said. "There are wires too close together. There are things stuffed in there. We have to be prepared for what Buckeye will be in 25 years. That's why we are doing such a comprehensive review." Click here for media coverage Associated Media |
