Tuesday, Nov. 8

\

Blagojevich opens new State Emergency Operations Center in Springfield

Governor also thanks over 2,500 first responders who assisted in Louisiana and Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina          Send a link to a friend

[NOV. 8, 2005]  SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich recently opened Illinois' new State Emergency Operations Center, a state-of-the art facility that will help the state better protect Illinois residents by bringing key terrorism prevention and emergency response assets together in one location. The center will enable decision-makers from several state agencies to receive timely disaster-related information that will help them make better decisions to respond to emergencies and to help protect the public in the event of an act of terrorism or a natural disaster.

The new 50,000-square-foot center will house the State of Illinois Response Center, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency's 24-hour communications center, the Statewide Terrorism Intelligence Center and the Radiological Emergency Assessment Center, which until now operated in separate locations.

"As the nation witnessed in the response to Hurricane Katrina, the ability to make coordinated decisions under the most stressful conditions is critical," Blagojevich said. "By putting the right decision-makers around the same table and enabling them to share the same real-time information in a state-of-the-art emergency management environment like this facility, we improve our ability to make the best possible decisions to respond to emergency situations and better protect Illinois residents."

The State of Illinois Response Center is the nerve center for the state's coordination of response efforts to disaster anywhere in the state. The Radiological Emergency Assessment Center monitors the state's 11 nuclear power reactors 24/7, and during an emergency, reactor and environmental analysts use that data to determine the need for protective actions for the public. The Statewide Terrorism Intelligence Center is the state's round-the-clock intelligence fusion center, with analysts reviewing and sharing information between local, state and federal entities. All notifications concerning non-law-enforcement emergencies and disasters in Illinois are handled through the Illinois Emergency Management Agency's 24-hour telecommunications centers.

In addition to opening the new building Oct. 26, the governor also recognized the valiant efforts of over 2,500 Illinoisans who volunteered to assist in the response and recovery efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina.

The governor presented plaques to representatives of a dozen organizations that assisted following the hurricane: the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System, Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team, Illinois Emergency Services Management Association, Illinois National Guard, Illinois State Police, Secretary of State Police, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Department of Central Management Services, Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

The total cost for the new State Emergency Operations Center and technology to be used in the facility is $19 million. In September 2003, Illinois received a $9.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to build the new facility. That was the second-largest grant awarded in the nation under that program. With the facility now open, Illinois becomes the first state in the nation that received a State Emergency Operations Center grant to complete construction of a new facility.

[to top of second column in this article]

In addition to the federal grant, the state provided a $3.1 million match in construction bond money and $20,000 from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. Funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Illinois Terrorism Task Force totaling $6 million was provided for state-of-the-art technology in the new facility. Exelon, which operates six nuclear power stations in Illinois, also contributed $800,000 for the Radiological Emergency Assessment Center and technology used to monitor conditions in and around nuclear power stations. Land for the facility was provided by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The heart of the new facility is the State of Illinois Response Center, where more than 75 decision-makers from state agencies and other response organizations will gather during emergencies to coordinate resources for response efforts. Two 12-by-18-foot video walls inside the center will enable decision-makers to simultaneously view a variety of disaster-related information, including live footage from disaster sites, weather tracking, mapping, status tracking of mission response and live news coverage of the disaster. In addition, adjacent break-out rooms will allow up to 120 additional people to meet and work on tasks in support of the response effort.

Standing members of the State of Illinois Response Center are the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and its Division of Nuclear Safety, Illinois State Police, Illinois Department of Military Affairs, Office of the State Fire Marshal, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois Commerce Commission, Illinois Department of Corrections, American Red Cross, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Department of Central Management Services, Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Secretary of State Police. Other state agencies are involved depending on the type of disaster.

The new State of Illinois Response Center replaces the existing facility at 110 W. Adams, which will become the alternate facility and the alternate telecommunications center.

The governor thanked the General Assembly for approving the single prime-bid legislation that enabled the facility to be built on time and on budget. That legislation was sponsored by state Sen. Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete, and state Rep. Willie Delgado, D-Chicago.

[News release from the governor's office]

< Top Stories index

Back to top


 

News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries

Community | Perspectives | Law & Courts | Leisure Time | Spiritual Life | Health & Fitness | Teen Scene
Calendar | Letters to the Editor