Well, good afternoon and welcome to the Public Safety Committee work session of Monday, October 26, 2026.

Today we have one topic on the agenda, which is an update, Public Safety Joint Operations Center.

As we begin, I'd like to thank Ms.

Cummings for preparing the staff report for the topic today and for once again an always assembling most informative packets for us.

And does anyone on the committee have only any opening remarks?

No?

Okay.

And I'm going to ask the panel, as they settle in here, to please introduce themselves and then ask if any of them have any opening comments.

And then we're going to ask Ms.

Cummings to please walk us through the discussion.

Please.

Assistant Chief Dominic Colletti, Fire Rescue Service.

Assistant Chief Dave McBain, Montgomery County Police Special Operations Bureau.

Good

afternoon, Derek Erigan, Office of Management of Budget.

Good afternoon, Luke Hodgson with the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

Good afternoon, Nicole Markuski with the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

Mark Becklin, the talent chief of the Montgomery County Fire Rescue.

Thank you very much.

Anyone have any opening comments?

No.

All right.

Ms.

Cummings, please.

And I think it should be known the chief of the fire services here as well, Corey Smith.

Please.

Thank you, Chair Katz.

Good afternoon, everybody.

Today we have a update on the Public Safety Joint Joint Operations Center or the JOC.

Just to walk through the staff report, Section 1, we have a little bit of historical refresher on the space.

This was a capital project introduced to committee January earlier this year through supplemental appropriation 2640 and funded renovations within the public safety headquarters to establish a shared operational space for emergency management, fire rescue, and the police department some various operations.

The original funding level for this project was $2.4 million and was later adjusted to 1.2 million during the FY27 through 32 CIP process for affordability considerations.

And the PDF, most recent PDF for this project, is attached to the staff report on Circle

1.

Section 2 of the report, starting on page two, has an overview of how the Capitol project has developed since we last discussed this in I think May.

Many capital components have been completed and it is in operation.

Updates included some technology cabling, connectivity, radio systems, and a video wall.

And the department's report that approximately 75% of the capital work is completed with some remaining antenna and radio installations that are expected to be completed through the end of the calendar year.

Section three, we have an overview of JOC operations.

As mentioned, there are several programs from our three departments that are now functioning within the space.

And the description of all the functions that are operating can be found on pages two and four, two through four of the staff report.

One uh thing that you'll know is that the functions that are operated by fire rescue services and emergency management do not yet have a dedicated FTEs.

Um the departments report that the operational impact of the co-location is that it has improved situational awareness and streamlined streamlined communication.

And on average, 20 to 25 weekly incidents that require or benefit from multi-agency coordination are uh responded to within the JOC.

Very last section of the packet, section four.

Um this is still a very new space.

The co-location of these operations is still very new.

Um

there are some potential future capital and operational budgetary um needs that the departments are sort of um kind of that are coming to light, I would say, um, as we're growing into the space.

Um so you know, these all would be very dependent on our future budgetary restraints and considerations, but just um they are mentioned here as a little snapshot of what we may see in the future.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And there again, thank you all for everything you do.

You know, after reading this report, and we did come to visit uh it's been a while back when we were there.

It seems like forever and three days ago that we were there.

But when we came to visit, you realize that this is a real opportunity for um as much as we attempt to be efficient in all departments.

But when we came to visit, you realize that this is a real opportunity for um as much as we attempt to be efficient in all departments, this is a real opportunity to even be more efficient uh than we can possibly be.

And this allows, from what I could say, this allows for um an efficiency that everybody is communicating at the same time.

Which, as much as we'd like to believe that always happens during it during a time when it's not exciting, you don't have it, especially during a time when it's you know it's it's great emergency.

So this allows for all of that and for us to be um to be uh uh uh uh thinking of that at all times.