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Douglas M. Anderson Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

St. Lucie County, Ft. Pierce, FL

Challenge:

In the aftermath of back to back hurricanes, St. Lucie County officials sought advanced broadcast and emergency operations technology, with systems that could make communications much simpler -- and easier -- to access. Engineered to withstand up to 200 mph winds, the building is home to the county's 911 operations, radiological, animal control, 911 and marine safety operations.

Solution:

Today, the $12.7 million Douglas M. Anderson Emergency Operations Center (EOC) stands at 27,282 square feet, with accommodations that are nearly four times the size of the previous structure, and much more readily equipped for an immediate communications response.

The backbone of the EOC's primary working environment includes four wall-mounted electric screens, four-52" mounted LCDs and high-resolution projectors. The displays have the capability of being fully matrixed, with the two center screens showcasing high-res images from video cables and video quad processors.

Two wall-mounted speakers are utilized for program audio (located at the front of the room), while a ceiling-mounted speaker system maintains voice reinforcement. An additional gooseneck microphone is installed at a custom lectern. While eight push-to-talk microphones are housed at each of the four laptop-equipped tables, two more reside at the EOC managers’ work area and the control area.

Versatility is added to the manager and control areas, as laptop feeds can also quickly connect and support data. An RF feed supplies the TV tuners located in the equipment rack, as well as all the LCD displays around the building. This includes several conference rooms for the fire and medical training, with presentations enhanced by wall-mounted 52" LCD displays fed from a tabletop pop up. Conference room communications are also improved by the use of a 58" x 104" recessed electric screen to display images fed from two 4000 ANSI lumen projectors.

With 12" touch panel and wireless WiFi panels, management of the system takes place at the control desk, located in the rear of the EOC. The control area broadcast system manages two cameras - located in the Media Briefing Room - and one camera located in the interconnected EOC. These feeds are then made available to the press at the outdoor "hitching post."

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