Architects Design Group, in association with a local architecture firm, designed the new home of South Sound 911’s consolidated public safety communications center. It is a unified regional 911 communications center in Tacoma, serving communities and first responders county-wide. The Sound South 911 Agency answers over 900,000 emergency and non-emergency calls annually for 19 law enforcement and 19 fire / EMS agencies. South Sound 911 employs approximately 230 personnel, many of whom work various shifts to provide 24-hour service for 911, dispatch, records management, information technology, and administration.
The site has a 76,520 SF building along with parking for employees and visitors. The building houses 911 and dispatch operations, as well as a municipal emergency operations center (EOC), with over 93 consoles at full buildout. It was constructed to meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), National Emergency Number Association (NENA), and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) standards for public safety communications centers. It also houses South Sound 911’s administrative offices, as well as a public counter offering services such as fingerprinting and the processing of concealed pistol license applications. The administrative building was constructed to meet general office building standards; this keeps costs lower than a single, larger building constructed to meet the stringent standards for the communications center.
