New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Commissioner Joseph F. Bruno today officially opened the new OEM Headquarters and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at in Downtown Brooklyn.

The $50 million facility -- all of which was funded by the federal government -- serves as the central point of coordination for major emergencies and special events, as well as the day-to-day workspace for OEM planning and response personnel. Staffed 24-hours a day, the 65,000-square-foot building contains a 130-agency EOC, Watch Command, general office space and training and conference rooms. It is supported by state-of-the-art audiovisual and information technology systems and full back-up generation. The OEM EOC will also be able to leverage the future benefits of the Citywide Public Safety Wireless Network, which will provide real-time links to city, state and federal agencies, bolster situational awareness and foster resource coordination in case of a large scale disaster. OEM's new facility also features several environmentally responsible design elements to make it New York City's first "green" agency headquarters -- a status for which it will seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification.

"OEM plays an important role in ensuring coordination of city agencies during an emergency," said Bloomberg. "This state-of-the-art facility will help make communication between agencies more seamless so that during an emergency, city resources are easily marshaled and dispatched to areas that need help."

"This new Emergency Operations Center will help OEM accomplish its mission to plan and prepare for any emergency that may strike the New York City," said Commissioner Bruno. "New York City is at the forefront of emergency management planning and this new facility will continue to move us forward. At the same time, we're pleased to do our part for the environment as the first certified 'green' City agency headquarters."

The new EOC and OEM headquarters, along with an already existing backup EOC, were built to replace the agency's former facility at 7 World Trade Center that was destroyed on September 11, 2001. It will serve as a hub for implementation of the Citywide Incident Management System (CIMS). The funding to build this facility was part of the $20 billion provided to New York City in the weeks after September 11th.

The new facility contains an upgraded, technologically advanced Watch Command containing several workstations, a citywide warning desk, full audio and video recording capabilities, a 15-foot video wall and state-of-the-art communications tools. Operating around the clock, Watch Command works with field responders and serves as the central notification point for federal, state and local agencies during emergencies.

The four-story building contains the most advanced technology and features available for OEM's emergency response and planning personnel. Nine conference rooms facilitate interagency training and coordination. Redundant electromechanical systems ensure continuous operation during a power outage. A fully equipped media briefing room leverages the resources of the City's Emergency Alert System and provides a venue for instantaneously transmitting emergency information to the public.

Both the new OEM headquarters and EOC will allow senior level City officials to manage emergencies and special events utilizing the CIMS, as well as incident specific emergency plans like the recently updated Coastal Storm Plan (CSP) or Heat Contingency Plan. CIMS, in accordance with the federal Incident Command Structure, defines how citywide emergencies or multiple large-scale incidents will be managed by specifying agency roles and responsibilities.

KW