Emergency Operations Center Management Team

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

Being prepared for every type of emergency or disaster that could impact a county of 437 square miles and a population approaching a million is truly a daunting task. Success depends on being creative with limited resources. That’s exactly what the Gwinnett County (GA) Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has done by forming an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Management Team. The Emergency Operations Center is a central location where public safety, emergency response, and support agencies coordinate planning, preparedness, and response activities. Representatives of more than 50 organizations report to the EOC during times of crisis. Managing and coordinating a large-scale response over an extended time is a challenge that all local governments face across the country. We developed and trained a management team of County employees to staff and operate the Emergency Operations Center during extended emergencies. This innovative method fills gaps in existing services and has proven tremendously successful. The Team includes enough employees to run EOC operations 24/7 for an extended period of time.