Tony DeBone Selected to Head New Regional Emergency Management Facility

—The Deschutes County Commissioner becomes first Chairman of multi-agency Steering Team for CORE3 project —

News Release:

(La Pine May 10, 2022) “The pandemic and recent catastrophic wildfires taught many of us in Central Oregon that we all need to be better equipped for emergency situations, especially government agencies,” said Deschutes County Commissioner Tony DeBone.

DeBone was recently selected to lead the new project in Redmond. CORE3 (Central Oregon, Ready Responsive, Resilient) will be a regional emergency training and response center on 300 acres of land near the Redmond airport and fairgrounds. 

“Central Oregon has a critical lack of training facilities for emergency service personnel and desperately needs a central hub for emergency operations if a major disaster strikes,” explained DeBone. “I’m confident once this new center is running, the region will be better prepared not if, but when the next major disaster strikes.” 

Members of a multi-agency Steering Team made up of 25 regional and statewide partners overseeing the project chose DeBone to be the panel’s first Chairman. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz was designated to be the Vice Chair. 

“Thank you for your support of public safety and the CORE3 Project,” said Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson.  “Public Safety is at the heart of a livable community and a training/response center like CORE 3 is crucial to providing a location for public safety agencies to train and run operations during an emergency in our region,” Sheriff Nelson added. “The implementation of CORE 3 will draw other users from Federal, State, local agencies improving public safety preparedness and response.”

CORE3 will serve two purposes. First, it will offer high priority training for law enforcement, fire, paramedics and other emergency personnel, with facilities like an indoor gun range, and firefighters’ burn building. The project will also function as an Emergency Coordination Center should major regional or statewide disasters like a train derailment or a devastating winter storm occur. 

Many of those components are part of phase one of the project. Organizers are reaching out to various organizations to learn what kinds of training scenarios would be beneficial to have at CORE3. DeBone reported the Steering Team is also exploring additional resources including grant funding and private partnerships. 

DeBone is grateful for the $9.5 million state appropriation that State Representative Jack Zika (R-Redmond) was able to secure during this year’s legislative session for the project. “This critical infrastructure is vital in case of a Cascadia event and illustrates that working together, we can find solutions that serve the needs of Oregonians at large,” noted Zika. 

DeBone has been one of the most active and dedicated advocates for public safety in Deschutes County. Since being elected County Commissioner he’s served eight years on the Steering Committee for Project Wildfire which seeks to prevent casualties, property and residential damage from wildfires. 
As a member of the County’s Local Public Safety Coordinating Council, DeBone helps coordinate community corrections services to better utilize local and state resources.

Another aspect of public safety is communications technology, which is critical in many parts of Oregon, especially rural areas around Central Oregon. For the past four years, DeBone has been a member of the State Interoperability Executive Council which is helping police, fire and other emergency officials talk to each other across Oregon during critical events.
As a County Commissioner for the past eleven years, DeBone is also part of the governing body of the Deschutes County 9-1-1 system. He’s also on the National Association of Counties Telecommunications and Technology Committee. 

In the private sector, his family has operated small businesses related to communications and electronics over the years. DeBone also recently earned his Amateur Radio License; call sign KK7EYI. Having a HAM Radio License from the FCC is not just a hobby but one of the fundamental purposes under federal law is to provide emergency communications.