Organized Readiness

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Ensuring that communication moves efficiently requires a state-of-the-art operations hub to coordinate response efforts and to facilitate field operatives with a direct link to management personnel. In 2005, the government of Rhode Island appropriated newly acquired Department of Homeland Security funds to renovate the State Emergency Operations Center in Cranston to make it one of the most advanced facilities in the state. They also created a centralized, state-of-the-art State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for use by all of its agencies.

The pre-existing EOC was a 1950s-style facility with limited technological capabilities. The one-room center had one “T”-type table with telephones, a ceiling-mounted projector and a Polycom conference telephone. This was also the room where operations for all statewide emergencies were handled, including Amber Alerts. Within this room, computers were situated against one wall and a large whiteboard was located on the other. The old EOC also housed a room dedicated to communications technology, such as two-way radios, and two additional rooms used for classes.

After researching a number of different companies that might be capable of leading this renovation, the state finally settled on a proposal from Flagship Security Systems, Whitman, Mass.

In addition to housing the Rhode Island state emergency operations command, the newly renovated EOC is home to the state police, Red Cross, Department of Transportation, National Guard and other critical state agencies. The EOC also supports WEBEOC emergency management software, providing all agencies with an added level of communication and messaging functionality.

“The Emergency Management Agency's projections were calling for a lot of bad weather in the upcoming hurricane season. So, they felt the timing was right to create a centralized EOC for the entire state,” says George Aguiar, vice president of operations, Flagship Security Systems. “After meeting with our team, the Emergency Management Agency decided to carry out our design for the facility that called for subdividing the center into four separate rooms: a Secure Emergency Operations Center (SEOC); an Emergency Support Function (ESF) breakout area; an Executive Briefing Room; and a Communications/Messaging Room to monitor communications from the federal, state and local agencies to maintain the highest level of situational awareness.”

With an overall budget approaching $1 million, the facility now includes state-of-the-art equipment that provides enhanced functionality and a more user-friendly work environment. The SEOC is the heart of the new facility, housing the essential equipment that affords department heads fully functional command and communication during an emergency. The SEOC houses 18 48-in. LCD Monitoring Desks from Middle Atlantic Products, Long Beach, Calif., for all of the department heads (state police, DOT, Red Cross, etc.); two additional 64-in. LCD Monitoring Desks, both of which are situated on a raised floor; and 13 monitors including: three 65-in. Panasonic Plasmas, two 42-in. Samsung Plasma TVs and two 32-in. Samsung LCD TVs. Every position in the room is also equipped to have Internet access and run WEBEOC emergency management software.

The two 64-in. LCD Monitoring Desks support six 17-in. multi-input monitors from Bosch, Fairport, N.Y. There are three at each desk, and the monitors mirror a majority of all of the monitors in each of the facility's four rooms. These monitors give the operator the ability to dictate who sees what, depending on the nature and scope of the operation. This monitoring system can be operated via a PC interface that initiates mechanical switches so that during an emergency situation, all EOC personnel can access and control the video input, regardless of each person's level of technical expertise.

Equally as important to the facility makeup are the other rooms which provide the center's huge support staff with the right technology and tools to carry out their duties. If the SEOC is the heart of the operation, then the Communications/Messaging Room is its mouth, enabling all of the agencies and employees in the EOC to communicate and organize efficiently and effectively both internally and externally. To provide adequate space for each department's communication team, Flagship installed a five-position, 16 channel Telex/Vega Digital Dispatch Radio Console that is capable of talking to every state entity via two-way radio, digital or analog; five Nexus dispatch workstations with touchscreen monitors and desk microphones; 12 EFJ 5300 mobile radios with Vega interface; and five Middle Atlantic Products 48-in. LCD Monitoring Desks with two 90-degree connectors and two side units for additional rackmount space.

The Executive Briefing Room is designed to house a large number of staff for various meetings or sessions. Flagship custom-built a massive 18 × 10 ft. conference table with fully integrated, pop-up power, telephone and data ports, two 65-in. Panasonic plasma monitors and a Middle Atlantic Products 48-in. LCD Monitoring Desk with a fully integrated lectern. In addition to briefing in a presentation or conference style setup, members of the EOC also now use the Executive Briefing Room to organize and manage statewide Amber Alerts.

The ESF is home to an additional 25 Middle Atlantic Products LCD Monitoring Desk workstations and two 65-in. Panasonic plasma monitors.

Paul Crawford, State Emergency Operations Manager for Rhode Island, says the first room to be upgraded was the SEOC. “We had a good idea of what we wanted to install. Flagship was extremely professional and helpful in that they suggested modifications that incorporated solutions from the top manufacturers in the final design,” he says. “When we saw the functional layout of the products like the Middle Atlantic Products LCD Monitoring Desks, it was easy to see why Flagship made its recommendations. Our people have been very impressed with their quality.”

In addition to the LCD Monitoring Desks, Flagship decided on a number of different enclosures from Middle Atlantic Products to meet various facility needs. In the SEOC, a Middle Atlantic Products 19-in. SR Series wall-mounted rack houses the components of a local CCTV system, the statewide DOT camera system that is relayed via IP from the DOT headquarters, a reserve 9-1-1 system, satellite weather and communications transceivers, router and firewall components and a CATV controller. There is also another Middle Atlantic Products rack, this time a DWR Series wall-mounted rack, which contains FEMA communication remotes, Emergency Broadcast System components and seven Telex IP223 digital to analog transceivers.

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