Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Operations Room Design
Origins
The operations room, where internal and external responders report, is the nerve
center of today's EOC. Its evolution, like the field of emergency management, is
ongoing, driven by the constantly changing technological landscape and by the
adoption of new practices derived from lessons learned. It was initially conceived
as a space where key public and private agency representatives came together for
the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of information. These multipurpose
spaces were born out of the context of civil defense. They were fairly similar in lay-
out and typically created with a bunker mentality as survivability was paramount.
The accommodations were spartan in nature, and the facility was used for
other purposes until escalating threat levels warranted activation. Although their
principal function was to provide the responding agencies a seemingly protected
place to maintain communications with their respective organizations' opera-
tional structures, they were also viewed as a place of refuge for governing authori-
ties, thus ensuring the continuity of government. It was not unusual to find these
centers located in the lower basement levels of a municipal building or at times
as a stand-alone underground facility. Interestingly, these presumed-to-be-well-
protected locations were held hostage by external events outside of their control
such as plumbing failures from above or flooding via backed-up drainage systems
from below. Furthermore, by being collocated with many other users, any form
of building evacuation such as a fire alarm or other such alert would mandate exit
from the occupied space not to mention the impact of sprinkler discharge seeking
the lowest level.
As the Cold War tensions defused, officials soon came to the realization that the
threats from natural disasters would be more likely to occur and could have signifi-
cant consequences on the day-to-day function of government as well as affecting
the lives and welfare of a large proportion of the jurisdictions' population. This
growing awareness produced the need for enlarged staffs to administer recovery
programs as well as focused support during the crisis and drove the need for more
capable facilities.
The September 11 attacks shifted emergency management's focus from an all-
hazards approach to one that was biased toward homeland security and counter-
terrorism. The concern over the short-sightedness in this shift in emphasis was
raised by the emergency management community. Then, the impact of Hurricane
Katrina and the other storms of the period reminded everyone that emergency
management and response demands a broad base of preparedness found in an all-
hazards approach.
This transitional awareness is helping drive a new mindset among community
leaders that EOCs and their operations centers should not only ensure survivabil-
ity of government but facilitate continuity of operations for the private sector by
