The New Emergency Operations Center
By SSG Jeff Clayton
Up & running by July 1998! |
Camp Murray, WA - Construction of the new Emergency Operations Center is underway at Camp Murray. Groundbreaking took place March 26th, 1997. By locating the Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray, access to existing support and sustainment infrastructure will provide significant savings. Dining facilities, living accommodations and classroom facilities already exist at Camp Murray. As a result Washington taxpayers can look forward to a savings of $3.7 million dollars.
Building description: Two-story, 28,000 square feet. It will accommodate 70 staff persons during day-to-day operations and 225 during a catastrophic emergency.
Fully Operational: July 1998 -- Cost: $9 million |
Location: Camp Murray, headquarters of the Washington Military Department. Exit 122 from Interstate 5, near Fort Lewis.
Purpose: To serve as the Washington State Emergency Operations Center during emergencies and as the Washington State Emergency Management Division headquarters. The division monitors, notifies and alerts state agencies and local governments of impending emergencies and disasters while performing emergency education, mitigation, preparation and recovery functions throughout the year. Emergency management personnel coordinate from the center with state, federal and local government agencies, non-government organizations, private businesses and industries.
Communications: The Emergency Operations Center telecommunications capabilities will be fully self contained to ensure survivability after a major disaster, such as an earthquake. The center will be equipped with it's own Private Branch Exchange (PBX), Local Area Network (LAN), radio and microwave network control centers, cellular telephone and satellite terminals. The center will be linked by fiber optic and cable to several different public and commercial networks to ensure redundancy in communications. Commercial access is currently planned to be provided by US West, AT&T, MCI, and AT&T wireless systems. Public network access will be provided by microwave links to the Washington State Patrol and Washington State Department of Transportation microwave networks. These microwave links will also provide access to the Department of Information Services leased networks. Voice and data connectivity to other branches of the Military Department will also be available to the center utilizing both optical fiber and cable connectivity.
Survivability: The building is designed to survive and operate in a major earthquake. It is a steel-frame building with a foundation isolated from upper floors by motion absorbers called "base isolators." Simply stated, stainless-steel and Teflon, ball-in-socket footings will allow the foundation to move with an earthquake while translating horizontal energy to vertical motion actually directing the energy up and down slightly - directing the forces into a direction the building is designed to withstand.
Utilities and life support: The building will have its own emergency power. The building will receive support from Camp Murray during protracted emergencies for lodging, feeding, emergency water supply and sanitation services.
See the Washington State Emergency Management Home Page for more on this and other emergency preparedness issues. Make sure that your family is prepared!
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