New York gets new emergency operations center | 12.06.2006 | 05:40:26 | Views: 6851 | ID: December 6 '06: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was joined by other city officials, first responders and fire and law enforcement officials on Tuesday to unveil the new New York City Office of Emergency Management built to replace the one destroyed during the 9/11 at the World Trade Center. According to a press release, the federally funded $50 million center will serve as a "central point of coordination for major emergencies and special events." The center will also handle day-to-day operations by a 24-hours a day staff. The 65,000 square-foot center hosts a Emergency Operations Center which allows more than 130 city, local, state and federal agencies to coordinate emergency response operations. The OEM's EOC will also "be able to leverage the future benefits" of a planned Citywide Public Safety Wireless Network "which will provide real-time links to city, state and federal agencies," the press release said. According to the Associated Press, the new building, located in Brooklyn, "is outfitted with a state-of-the-art command desk where police, fire and other operations are monitored and coordinated. ... In addition to the facility, where officials gave reporters a tour on Tuesday, the city has another emergency operations center at an undisclosed location, in case the main headquarters is comprimised in an attack or another event." In addition to all the technological advancements of the new site, the OEM "is also the first environmentally 'green' city headquarters and is designed to conserve energy through a host of ways, including heat-reflecting roof tiles and water conservation," the New York Sun reported. Additional operational details of the center include "Nine conference rooms [which] facilitate interagency and coordination. Redundant electromechanical systems [that] ensure continuous operation during a power outage. [And] a fully equipped media breifing room [that] leverages the resources of the City's Emergency Alert System and provides a venue for instantaneously transmitting emergency information to the public," the press release read.
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