HDSA
January 2022
New EVOC Facility
In November 2021, we opened the new Sheriff’s Emergency Vehicle Operations Center (EVOC) in Otay Mesa. This regional resource will facilitate training our current and future emergency first responders. The EVOC is an enormous investment in San Diego regional public safety. Since 1993, we have searched for an EVOC site. After evaluating nearly 300 possible locations, we selected this site in 2017. Construction began in October 2020. In a little over a year, this $32.4 million project was completed.
There are three driving venues at the EVOC. These venues will train deputies, police officers, firefighters, ambulance, and public works drivers to quickly respond to emergency calls. In addition to these venues, there is a designated area to simulate driving and parking in a city block environment. Among the skills emergency responders will practice are quick lane changes, controlled braking, evasive maneuvering, and driving in reverse. This 40-acre site is designed to operate several training scenarios simultaneously. It was designed for various types of vehicles, including; motorcycles, patrol cars, off-road vehicles, fire trucks, ambulances, transportation buses, and hazardous materials (HAZMAT) trucks.
San Diego lost its previous training venues and the only alternative would have been for deputies and academy recruits to leave the County for training, costing more than $3.5 million per year. This facility will support the Department in complying with State standards for training which is required for deputies and police officers when operating emergency vehicles on duty. The Sheriff’s Department owns and runs the EVOC, which is open Monday through Friday during business hours, including some nights and weekends. We provide a menu of services to law enforcement agencies in the region, such as rental of the facility, vehicles, and instructors. There are few activities that pose more risk to law enforcement and the public than emergency driving, and this EVOC will reduce that risk by building strong foundations and skills for our deputies.
In the decades since this center was envisioned, hundreds of people have worked on the project. I’d like to give a special thanks to the Board of Supervisors, the San Diego Police Department, the city of San Diego, and the San Diego Community College District for their financial support.
Bill Gore, Sheriff
EVOC is located at 7361 Otay Mesa Road.
