Featured Article -- October 2006

EOC offers place to "co-locate" and "co-operate"

Submittted by Kansas City, Mo., Office of Emergency Management

Kansas City, Missouri’s Office of Emergency Management and the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) share a facility where city officials can jointly manage the response and recovery from large-scale emergencies and disasters. The EOC provides a place to “co-locate and co-operate,” and has substantial technological resources that facilitate the city’s ability to protect life and property.

The offices are located in the Century Towers Building, at 635 Woodland Avenue, Suite 2107, Kansas City, Mo., 64106. [directions]. This building was operated as University Hospital for many years. After the hospital closed in 1988, it stood vacant until the city bought the building for $1 in 1992 as part of a community revitalization project. The property was sold to a private developer, who converted the building into a dual-use apartment and office complex featuring apartments and office space. The city leases floor space in the building for the EOC, the Fire Department and other city offices.

Protecting Kansas City

In 2002, city leaders decided that they needed a larger and more technologically advanced EOC to respond to the variety of emergencies and disasters that can affect the area. Voters approved a temporary quarter cent sales tax increase to provide $2 million to build and equip the EOC. Work began during the summer of 2003, and was finished in March 2004. The facility was finished on time and significantly under budget.

The design of the EOC

The EOC is divided into a series of functional workstations known as “pods," which have radios and computers programmed according to the needs of the workers. The EOC also has a 47-foot projection wall onto which vital information can be projected for all to see simultaneously. The EOC also has a number of support rooms, which provide a place to conduct training, press conferences and other support functions.

For more information and for tours, please contact the EOC at (816) 784-9040.

 

 

 

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