New Redmond dispatch center to open for fire season

On Thursday, June 1 at 10 a.m. the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the completion of their new dispatch facility adjacent to the Redmond Air Center.

The Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center provides dispatch services to the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Oregon Department of Forestry, as well as assisting with the aviation dispatching for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

The ribbon-cutting event is open to the public and will include tours of the new building before and after the ceremony.

Dispatch center agencies worked closely with the City of Redmond, who owns the building, to design a facility that meets the unique needs of a dispatch operation, officials said. The new center will operate under a 20-year lease held by the dispatch agencies. The Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center currently operates out of a location in Prineville.

Agency officials are looking forward to the dispatch center’s new location in Redmond. The proximity to the Redmond Air Center provides for improved multi-agency coordination efforts in emergency response.