Burlington County is planning an upgrade to its Emergency Operations Center to help state, county and local emergency management officials and first responders during all varieties of disasters and emergencies.
The County is being aided with the improvement project by a $637,195 federal grant awarded to the County as part of a FY 2024 government funding package. The grant will be used to update technology, software and communications equipment in the center, including the addition of a new information wall consisting of interactive monitors to display maps, video conferences and other data in real-time to assist with planning, response and information gathering.
The County also plans to upgrade the center’s servers so computer work stations, video screens and telecommunications equipment can continue to operate if other infrastructure fails.
“Burlington County is the largest of New Jersey’s 21 counties geographically and we are home to more than 460,000 residents. Protecting them and their property is always our government’s top priority,” said Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson, after the board voted last week to accept the grant. “We’ve seen how devastating hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and other emergencies can be, and we’re taking the steps needed to ensure our County’s emergency management team and responders have the best possible equipment to assist them with emergency planning, response and recovery operations. This grant provides our County with significant funding to achieve that goal.”
The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is housed in the basement of the Burlington County Public Safety Building on Academy Drive in Westampton. The building also houses Central Communications, which fields all 911 emergency calls in Burlington County and dispatches all police, fire and EMS calls.
The EOC is the main coordination point for all significant disasters and emergencies in the county, including extreme weather, natural disasters, Large-scale health emergencies, terror attacks and other incidents. The center has work stations, communications and meeting space for emergency management coordinators and representatives from state, county, local and federal agencies, plus medical service, utilities and other County departments active during emergencies.
The planned upgrade will be the first significant renovation to the EOC since its construction in the early 2000s. County officials said the improvements will allow state, county and local officials to better plan and respond during an emergency. The upgrades will also allow it to serve as a regional command site or hub during a major incident.
“We’ve witnessed the importance of the Emergency Operations Center during all types of disasters, including hurricanes, floods, blizzards, wildfires and more. And during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the EOC remained activated and operational for 14 consecutive months until the health emergency was lifted,” said Commissioner Allison Eckel, liaison to the Department of Public Safety. “It’s essential for our emergency management teams to be properly equipped with the latest technology so they can assess, respond and coordinate resources where they are needed most. This planned upgrade will benefit not just our County and our local communities, but our entire region as well.”
The planned upgrade is one of several public safety improvements undertaken by the County in recent years, including a $45 million overhaul and upgrade of the County’s emergency communications system and the purchase of new handheld and vehicle radios for all local first responders.
“These improvements are investments for the health, safety and welfare of not only our residents but also the people who put their lives on the line to serve and protect them,” Hopson said. “We will continue to look for all possible solutions and methods to improve public safety.”