Brevard debuts new Emergency Operations Center in time for expected busy hurricane season
A new $35.6 million Brevard County Emergency Management Center opened this week, replacing a facility that was run-down and was the second-oldest of its kind in the state.
The new 52,000-square-foot complex at 1751 Huntington Lane in Rockledge is more than four times the size of the nearby former 11,000-square-foot facility. And it opens just in time for the start of what's expected to be an unusually active hurricane season.
"This definitely puts us on the top of emergency operations centers in the state of Florida," Brevard County Emergency Management Director John Scott said. "This is a big investment. This has been a 25-year effort to get us here."
Funding came from a combination of federal, state and county money.
The new 5,126-square-foot operations floor in the Emergency Operations Center will have desk space for 152 people, compared with 58 in the 2,000-square-foot operations floor at the former EOC. That expansion will provide desk space for officials from all 16 Brevard cities and towns and every hospital company — something the former site did not have.
The operations floor provides a place to coordinate information and objectives during an emergency for 19 categories of "emergency support functions" — such as transportation, public works, health and medical services, utilities, law enforcement and animal services — as well as liaisons and other county partners.
Scott said having more people in the room for face-to-face interactions creates more efficiency to facilitate problem-solving during a hurricane or other emergency.
Other features of the new EOC include a commercial kitchen/dining area; an Emergency Coordination Group room; five conference rooms; two training/bunk rooms, each with a capacity of 20 cots; a traffic operations center; a citizens' information room staffed by 2-1-1 Brevard staff and volunteers taking calls from the public; a public information room for public information officers; a media briefing room; plus expanded bathroom, shower and locker facilities.
The EOC is fortified to withstand Category 5 hurricane-strength winds. It has two 1-megawatt generators, each capable of independently running the entire building, as well as two 20,000-gallon backup sewer tanks.
Scott — whose department has a permanent staff of 20 — said the new facility should help improve morale and mental health of staff and volunteers working there during a hurricane, tropical storm or other emergency.
Regardless of the total number of hurricanes and tropical storms this year, Scott said his department will be ready. He noted that, even in a light overall hurricane season, one direct hit makes it a bad year for the county that gets hit.
The new Emergency Operations Center is located adjacent to the original building that was opened in 1964 and expanded in 1999. Scott describes that building as "a civil defense-era bunker."
The new EOC is located on land owned by Brevard Public Schools that is leased to the county under a 99-year lease at an annual cost of $1.
The Emergency Operations Center bears the name of Robert Lay, who served as the director of Brevard County Emergency Management from 1997 until his death in 2012.
Unified Communications Center
An attached Unified Communications Center that will be used in the dispatching of Brevard County Sheriff's Office and Brevard County Fire Rescue calls will open there by the end of June, according to Deborah Sands, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office public services director.
That center is named for Carrie Dehler, a dispatcher for 23 years, who died last year while on duty.
Sands said the BCSO currently typically staffs about seven dispatchers per 12-hour shift in Titusville for law enforcement calls, plus four to five dispatchers per 12-hour shift in Rockledge for fire and medical calls.
All dispatchers are being cross-trained to handle all types of calls, and efficiency will be improved by having all dispatchers at one location.
BCSO public information officer Tod Goodyear said the new center at the EOC will have 28 workstations, with room to add another 10 if needed. Each station has color-coded lights — yellow if the dispatcher is on an active call, red if the dispatcher needs the assistance of a supervisor.
Sands said staff is excited about the upcoming move on the new facility.
"It's state-of-the-art," Sands said.
The Unified Communications Center also has a training room where trainees can simulate handling emergency calls in real time.
Sands said she hopes the new facility also will help with recruiting of dispatchers, where starting pay is $40,800 a year, with a potential $2,500 signing bonus. Details on job openings are available on the "Join BCSO" tab at www.BrevardSheriff.com or by calling 321-264-5308.
The BCSO's dispatch operation has a budgeted staff of 60, but there regularly are openings.
Open houses this weekend
There will be a formal ribbon-cutting for the EOC on Friday.
Then, on Saturday and Sunday, the public can tour the center during open houses scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Attendees will be able to learn about emergency management procedures, and have the opportunity to visit tables hosted by community partners like the National Weather Service, the Salvation Army and county departments.
Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at [email protected], on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard's $35.6 million Emergency Operations Center goes into operation
