LAPLACE — Cain Dufrene, chief of operations for the St. John Parish Office of Fire Services, recalls emergency staff and first responders cramming into office spaces to sleep during the height of Hurricane Isaac response in 2012.

Roads were flooded and responders were moving in and out of rooms as calls came in, creating a dysfunctional work space for those trapped in the Percy Hebert building for days on end.

By January 2020, St. John the Baptist Parish will have a new 4,000 square feet safe room to house employees, critical staff, first responders and other agencies on call during inclement weather emergencies.

Dufrene said the structure, which provides sleeping space and shower facilities for up to 130 people, can be utilized as a meeting room or training space for day-to-day operations.

The new safe room will be attached to the existing EOC department in the Percy Hebert building on Airline Highway in LaPlace. The EOC houses St. John Parish’s Department of Public Safety, Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Office of Fire Services and the 9-1-1 Communications Center.

“In the past, people were kind of sprawled out throughout the building in offices,” Dufrene said. “We had to find the dispatchers a place to sleep, and there wasn’t any function to it. We realized we needed a secure place to sleep for people who have to stay overnight.”

Versatility of the safe room was discussed in early planning stages, according to Dufrene.

“The thought was to design it to be used for something else because we’re not going to have hurricanes every day,” Dufrene said. “It would be kind of a waste to have that building just sitting there. The beds we plan on placing in there are movable, and there’s ample room for meetings.”

The facility will be divided into two sleeping quarters, one for men and one for women, and will include storage rooms in addition to shower and restroom facilities.

The safe room will protect against loss of power and wind speeds up to 155 miles per hour. The building is being constructed above a 500-year flood plain to guard against flooding.

Onshore Construction Company was awarded a contract in October and began construction soon after on a 12- to 14-month projected timeline to completion, weather permitting.

According to Dufrene, Onshore Construction has driven pilings and raised the site for a strong foundation. Next steps include plumbing installation and pouring a slab.

The safe room addition comes at an estimated cost of $1.2 million. The exterior of the building is funded with $1.107 million from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which includes a 25 percent match from the parish.

The match and interior budget is funded by bond issue funds and parish budgets including 911 communications and the Office of Fire Services.

Parish President Natalie Robottom said the safe room is a critical addition for employees who previously had to endure sleeping on office floors and in cars.

“Because we depend so heavily on this group of essential personnel, it is incumbent upon us to provide proper accommodations and shelter while they respond to disasters and lead the recovery process,” Robottom said.