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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.
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 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]
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