EOC Tip of the Week

When locating an EOCâ€"Accessibility: Last week's tip was on survivability. This week has the yang to that ying. Many times you can make a facility more survivable if you locate it in some remote location. The issue with that is then the difficulty in people having access to the facility. Balancing survivability with accessibility is the challenge.

Pat Harkness, a Canadian (eh?), commented on survivability in that you need a minimum of two routes into a facility and not be painted into a corner when there is a transportation issue with getting access to the EOC. A very good point on survivability and accessibility indeed!

Being close to the centers of government or decision making definitely has its advantages. Being in the basement of the courthouse at least has that going in your favor.

I'll give you two examples that I have personal experience with.

The State of WA EOC when it was being sited had two options. One was close to the capitol, but not on campus, just up the freeway a bit. The other option was on Camp Murray, a National Guard Facility. The one closer to the State Capitol ensured accessibility. The one on Camp Murray had other advantages. It was on a secure site with 24/7 gate guards, it is also part of a larger campus setting and that allowed the budget for the new facility to be trimmed by $4M, which of course was attractive to budget people. It is however at some distance (18 miles?) from the State Capitol and there are bridges to contend with that could fail or be compromised in a larger disaster, earthquake or lahar. The cost and other advantages outweighed the accessibility argument.

Then, when we were looking for a place for the new King County ECC accessibility was also a consideration. Survivability was our primary concern, so we ended up putting the facility about mid-point in the county North-South and there are multiple routes to get to the facilityâ€"about 12 miles from downtown. I'm sure the people who have to make the trek out to the ECC for monthly meetings from downtown Seattle would like it back in the basement of the courthouse, but overallâ€"this is the balancing act you need to take.