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VDEM Facilities

Virginia Emergency Operations Center

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Exterior of the new Virginia Emergency Operations CenterA new base for emergency operations

The new Virginia Emergency Operations Center allows emergency responders to protect the citizens of Virginia with state-of-the-art technology and enough room to work in real time, face-to-face. The project was designed and constructed in partnership with the Virginia Department of State Police with input from local and state agency representatives.

Operations
The large Operations floor provides ample space for representatives from state agencies and private organizations responding to an emergency. The alcoves on the sides of the Operations floor provide workspace for the fifteen emergency support functions that cover every part of an emergency response effort, from sheltering disaster victims to long-term community recovery. The alcoves on the sides of the Operations floor provide workspace for the fifteen emergency support functions that cover every part of an emergency response effort, from sheltering disaster victims to long-term community recovery.
The large Operations floor provides ample space for representatives from state agencies and private organizations responding to an emergency.    

In the Operations room, a large problem is broken up into smaller tasks to ensure that needs are filled quickly. Each task is assigned to appropriate "emergency support functions" that cover every part of an emergency response effort, from sheltering disaster victims to long-term community recovery.

Here, the state agencies and private organizations active in the response effort, or the Virginia Emergency Response Team, work together to deliver supplies, equipment or personnel wherever they are needed. Operations staff direct and manage a coordinated effort to get cots to a specific shelter, water to a town or transportation for a search and rescue team.

In this room, responders are connected via a computer network, an Internet-based phone system and software called WebEOC, a program that allows them to find new information and the status of any request.

Communications
The Communications room is the emergency point of contact for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Another photo of the Communications room.

The Communications room is the emergency point of contact for the Commonwealth of Virginia, connecting the VEOC to local emergency managers throughout the state, to other state agency emergency centers and to emergency management partners at the federal level. It is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week to coordinate day-to-day operations of emergency alerting, hazardous materials response, search and rescue operations, and regional helicopter medical evacuations.

This is where most information comes into the VEOC during an emergency. Each affected locality will contact their local liaison here, who will ensure that each request is filled by assigning it to personnel in the Operations room.

Here, staff have instant communication with emergency operation centers at the power stations in Surry and North Anna through Instaphones, and the emergency alert sirens can be sounded from this room.

Executive Conference Room
The governor, his cabinet and other state leaders use the Executive Conference Room as their situation room. The equipment in this room allows the governor and his staff to observe briefings as they occur int he Operations room and to teleconference with staff at the Department of Homeland Security.

The governor, his cabinet and other state leaders can use this space as their "situation room." Here, they receive up-to-the-minute briefings about the disaster and make decisions about what will be the priority in the next 24- to 72-hour period.

The equipment in this room allows decision makers to observe briefings as they occur in the Operations room and to teleconference with staff at the Department of Homeland Security. In the event of an emergency, personnel at the state and federal levels would be able to communicate in real-time, "face-to-face."

Joint Information Center
Here, public information officers work together to ensure that the most accurate, up-to-date information is available to the public. Each member of the JIC has his own computer workstation. A third photo of the JIC, showing computer workstations and media monitoring equipment.
This photo of the JIC shows the rack of DVD recorders that enable public information officers to record media broadcasts for later review and for historical purposes.    

In the Joint Information Center, or JIC, public information officers work together to ensure that the most accurate, up-to-date information is available to the public. These officers represent each organization involved in a response effort, or the Virginia Emergency Response Team. Information is disseminated from the JIC through news releases, Emergency Alert System messages and interviews with the media.

In this room, JIC staff can monitor information from the media to confirm that outgoing information is consistent and correct. Inaccurate reports and rumors are addressed quickly, thanks to eight television monitors that can display up to 20 different broadcasts simultaneously. The JIC is able to monitor broadcasts from northern Virginia, the Hampton Roads area, Richmond and Roanoke. DVD burners allow staff to review any broadcast for use as teaching tools and historical documentation.

Planning
Here, information is gathered from each of the fifteen teams working in the Operations room, among other sources, about requests from affected localities, damage assessment reports and upcoming tasks. Another photo of the Planning section.

The Planning section staff constantly examines and analyzes the response effort as it progresses. Here, information is gathered from each of the fifteen teams working in the Operations room, among other sources, about requests from affected localities, damage assessment reports and upcoming tasks.

During a disaster, this information is distilled at regular intervals to document the actions, plans and decisions of responders at the local, state and federal level. Data is funneled into decision-making products such as incident action plans for the next 24, 48 and 72 hours, executive orders, situation reports and briefings that are used to support the governor, his cabinet and other state leaders in making decisions.

Living Spaces
The EOC includes a full kitchen The EOC includes sleeping quarters for employees working long hours.

The new Virginia Emergency Operations Center was designed with functionality in mind, as is evident in the kitchen and sleeping quarters that enable employees working long hours to remain fresh and focused.