DEVELOPING AN EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER
by William Moore
International City/County Management Association

“The time for local authorities to try to identify critical resources or the parties responsible for
providing them is not while those authorities are responding to and managing a major
disaster. An emergency operations center, commonly called an EOC, can assist the disaster
management professional in the many tasks associated with the successful preparation for,
response to, and recovery from disasters of all kinds.

“This report stresses the value of having a centralized command location, on-scene mobile
command posts that can interact with the central location and with one another, and
coordinated and well-managed resource support. Several functional, organizational, and
fiscal options are discussed. For any jurisdiction considering developing its own EOC, the
report is offered in the hope that the experience-based information in it may be of value in
identifying some of the more critical steps and considerations.”

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CONTENTS

Basic Considerations
Functions of the EOC
Political Support
Available Resources
Area Threat Analysis
Developing a Hazard/Threat Analysis
Sample Hazard Analysis
Site Location, Design and Organization
Choosing a Site
Using Existing Facilities
Designing a Site
Organizing the Center
EOC Equipment
Command Post Vehicles
Training Exercises
Cost Considerations and Funding
Conclusion
Additional Sources of Information

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“William Moore is an emergency planner with the Orange County Office of Emergency
Management located in the Orange County Fire Rescue Headquarters, Winter Park, Florida.
With six other staff members, he serves as part of the emergency operations center staff
during emergency activations, training programs, and exercises.”

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1998, 16 Pages. Order #DR472.
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