Advanced Resource Center Will Soon Bring Improved Emergency Response to Loma Mar and Nearby Parks

Increased emergency preparedness is coming to the community of Loma Mar and to campers at Memorial and Sam McDonald Parks. The volunteer La Honda Fire Brigade has undertaken to install five Advanced Resource Centers (ARCs) throughout the South Coast of San Mateo County. Three are currently operational and another is being built. The fifth ARC is on track to be installed at the Loma Mar Fire Station, off Pescadero Creek Road in Memorial Park, before the end of 2026.

Loma Mar, a sparsely populated community of about 134 residents, relies on a single redwood-canyon road for its outlet and access to many services. Mudslides and washouts are common. Cell coverage, already limited in the area, is vulnerable to extended power outages. All this leaves Loma Mar especially susceptible to isolation in times of emergency. The ARC is a self-contained emergency center equipped to help Loma Mar communicate and respond as a community during weather and fire events, when roads, power, and cell service may have failed.

An ARC is a 10' x 20' steel shipping container that has been converted into emergency hub and response center, powered by a rooftop solar array and battery that allows it to operate off-grid for an extended period. In an emergency, the ARC is designed to perform as Loma Mar's assembly point. A neighbor who is a trained member of the volunteer Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will open and operate it, and the ARC will be stocked with enough resources and emergency supplies for a CERT team to remain there while they coordinate emergency response.

The ARC will be equipped with sensors and a computer to monitor weather conditions and provide a live reading of storm conditions within the canyon. A Starlink satellite internet connection will provide Wi-Fi and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone connectivity in the absence of cell and landline service. A public-address loudspeaker will broadcast important messages to everyone in the area.

The ARC is essential to the safety not only of the residents of Loma Mar but to the visitors to Memorial Park and other parks in the area. On a busy weekend, campers and visitors to County parks outnumber residents. These are often youth groups and families with no local contacts or way to receive alerts. The ARC's weather data will better anticipate dangerous events and its satellite capabilities will allow stranded campers and hikers access to public Wi-Fi so they can receive alerts and call family. The ARC will also stock emergency and medical supplies that stranded visitors may need.

"This new layer of communications infrastructure will be invaluable to rangers, visitors , and the local community when the next major storm strikes. The Parks Department is excited to partner on this project with other local agencies who are working together to increase our resilience in the face of the next emergency."

~David Vasquez, Head Ranger at Memorial Park

The five South Coast ARCs have been funded through a San Mateo County Measure K grant administered by the Department of Emergency Management. Additional funding and equipment support has come from 100 Women Who Care Coastside, PG&E, and American Medical Response. The ARCs were built largely with volunteer labor from the La Honda Fire Brigade.