GRAND OPENING: Emergency Operations Center in Forest Hill

After more than a year of construction, the Harford County Department of Emergency Services building in Forest Hill is set for a grand opening this weekend.

The new facility, located across the parking lot from the old building, will house the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association, the Harford County EMS Foundation, the 911 center, Emergency Operations Center, emergency management and preparedness branch and others.

Creation of the new facility was one of the initiatives that County Executive David Craig laid out in his plans for his final two years in office. In 2012, Craig proposed replacing the current Emergency Operations Center, which he said was obsolete.

At a grand opening on Saturday, Craig will join county executive-elect Barry Glassman, Aberdeen Proving Ground Major General Bruce T. Crawford, Harford County Director of Emergency Services Russell Strickland and Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association President Rusty Eyre.

The grand opening will be at noon on Saturday, Nov. 8, at the new Emergency Operations Center at 2220 Ady Road in Forest Hill. The event is open to the public.

Related: Harford County to Break Ground on New Emergency Facility