Park City Police Chief Wade Carpenter asked the City Council on Monday, Aug. 17, to consider dedicating city-owned land at 700 Round Valley for a regional emergency operations center, making a concrete land-use request as the Rocky Canyon Fire burned nearby.

The city owns two parcels at the site, east of the Peace House, while the Park City Fire District also has property in the area.

The Rocky Canyon Fire had burned nearly 16,000 acres in Summit and Morgan counties since it sparked Aug. 7, evacuating about 500 residents and thousands of livestock. By Monday evening, all Summit County evacuation orders had been lifted after the fire reached 77% containment, though it was not yet fully contained in Morgan County.

The proposed center would serve the Park City Police Department, Summit County Sheriff's Office, Park City Fire District and other regional partners. Its uses would include emergency coordination, wildfire response, training, dispatch operations, backup IT facilities and support for the 2034 Winter Olympics.

Carpenter raised specific concerns about State Route 248 becoming landlocked during a major emergency or during the Olympics.

When not activated for an emergency, the facility would support daily operations for the police department and partner agencies.

Carpenter pointed to past emergencies as evidence of the need. During the 2021 Parleys Canyon Fire, the region set up roughly 300 tents across 40 acres. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the city took over the ice arena and part of the hospital for vaccination operations.