Fire Chief Steve Hudson discusses how the dedicated EOC will help the County protect lives and properties in future storms.

BREAKING GROUND: DEDICATED EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER COMING SPRING 2024

MARATHON, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners, Emergency Management, Fire Rescue, Project Management, and the Sheriff’s Office broke ground today for the new dedicated Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the west end of the Marathon airport with the help of Congressman Carlos Gimenez and Rep. Jim Mooney. The project was made possible with federal and state funding. Construction is tentatively scheduled for completion in spring 2024.

The project consolidates several existing organizations into a new state-of-the-art 28,321 square-foot, 220-mile wind-rated facility that will include:

  • Monroe County Emergency Management
  • Monroe County Fire Rescue Administration
  • Monroe County Sheriff’s Office 9-1-1 Center

The design is based on a 500-year storm and will include:

  • Impact Rating: Windborne Debris Missile Criteria for Hurricane Shelter Safe Room (FEMA P-361 / ICC-500)
  • First-floor elevation of 20.16 ft. NAVD-88 (17 ft. above ground) due to wave action (above Base Flood Elevation code +3)
  • Self-sustaining for 72 hours for up to 150 emergency response staff, including food, drinking water, electric power, and wastewater storage
  • Emergency communications via satellite phone/internet service

“Hurricane Irma showed us that this was a real need for Monroe County, a long time in the making,” said Monroe County Mayor David Rice.

To see the construction of the EOC in real-time on the site construction cameras, visit https://www.senserasystems.com/public/embed/3M8821448704 and https://www.senserasystems.com/public/embed/3M8826908703.

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