Emergency Operations Center
An Emergency Operations Center (EOC) serves as a headquarters for incident response for a municipality, company, government agency, or other organization. The incident can vary – natural disaster, malicious attack, disruption to utilities or basic supplies – but the importance of the EOC remains the same. The number one asset to this hub is the staff that are trained for disaster response. Although the disaster might change, their experience keeping calm, communicating with each other and the public, and presenting a plan remains the same. EOC planning is instrumental for smoothly navigating an incident. This means training staff, setting up emergency operations communication equipment, and navigating logistics prior to an incident happening. With proper planning, the EOC can effectively function as the communications hub during the incident.
What You Should Consider
When establishing an emergency operations center, it’s important to consider who will work there. Who are the emergency workers? Are they trained? Do they know what their job is when an incident happens? Knowing the details of who will work, how to contact them, and what their roles are before disaster strikes will help the process. The second most important component of EOC planning is communications. This hub will serve as the operations center and coordination point for all emergency operations within the agency and partners, so it needs to be properly equipped. Is the EOC in a building or a mobile van? Is there adequate equipment to ensure communications will remain reliable, even if the power goes out or there are disruptions to local utilities?
Remote Satellite Systems can help you determine the right communication equipment for your specific requirement and physical space constraints. We have worked with numerous public agencies, including the San Francisco Public Safety Building (Police and Fire), Marin Fire Department, and San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. With over 17 years of experience in satellite and communications systems, we offer professional technical consulting to help determine the right turnkey communication solution for your unique needs.
What We Can Do
Remote Satellite Systems can help your EOC:
- Be the vital communications link between other government agencies and your Incident Command Center
- Ensure that necessary equipment and bandwidth is available on site when you need it
- Manage the public dissemination of information via TV, radio, and social media
Are you establishing or updating an emergency operations center? Contact Remote Satellite Systems to discuss your needs.