The Coachella Valley could launch a first-of-its-kind earthquake alert system that could more than double the warning time before an earthquake, officials said Friday.

Twelve fire stations already have early detection systems that pick up the earliest signs of an earthquake and respond by opening station doors.

But a $3 million project proposal moving through the valley would create 40 additional early detector sites across the valley, as well as alerts at 79 “affiliate sites,” mostly at schools.

While the early detection is not unheard of, the proposal aims to put all detectors on a shared network, said Blake Goetz, Palm Springs fire chief and president of Coachella Valley Emergency Managers Association, which is leading the private/public partnership to create the network.

That network — a first nationally — would mean every city would receive a simultaneous alert at the first sign of an earthquake, regardless of how far it is from the epicenter.

It could more than double the warning time residents get before an earthquake, which is fewer than 14 seconds, at best, without the network.

“You can see that the potential for this to expand across California, region to region to region, is pretty significant,” Goetz said.

Goetz detailed the proposal to city managers Friday morning and used simulations to demonstrate the effectiveness and speed of the network.

“Our objective is to provide early earthquake warning to the residents, first responders and school kids to be able to duck, cover and hold with advance warning of this earthquake,” Goetz said.

He asked the Coachella Valley Association of Governments to sign on to the project, with the primary task of applying for grant money. The technical advisory committee unanimously agreed, and it will head to the executive committee on Dec. 7 for final approval.

Tom Kirk, the group's executive director, said he has “really become a believer” of the network proposal.

“I'm a major proponent of this, and even if we're wrong that this system doesn't provide as much warning as we think it does, if it provides 10 or 12 seconds early warning, it is a huge benefit to the Coachella Valley,” Kirk said.

The initial phase of the system, known as the Coachella Regional Early Warning System, was installed in 12 fire stations across the valley beginning nine years ago.

Palm Springs fire stations have five detectors, and they are also in Desert Hot Springs, Indio, La Quinta and Rancho Mirage.

The system detects the first sign of an earthquake — a P-wave — and estimates the intensity within one second.

The alert is then distributed across the valley.

“They work flawlessly, and they've never once falsely activated in the nine years we've had them installed,” Goetz said.

Goetz, who said he could see the system someday being added to private homes, added the network could also grow across the state and add even more warning time.