Action News Jax was able to get an exclusive look inside the new Emergency Operations Center that opened on base at Naval Air Station Jacksonville last week.
The new EOC at NAS Jax is lined with large screens, which are being used right now to track tropical storm Erika.
The facility was built to accommodate the EOC staff of 30 and others who need to use the facility in an emergency.
They have areas for planning, operations who deal directly with responders in the field, administration and finance, and logistics.
“All hands on deck, a hurricane obviously coming through, if we have a chemical event where the whole base is impacted, or a situation if there was an explosion on the insulation,” said Emergency Management Officer Ray Edmond.
One major upgrade from their last EOC is that the screens can show 100 different viewpoints through cameras on base, allowing their team to see in real time what is happening in an emergency, like a possible active shooter.
The building isn’t just beneficial for the base.
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“We definitely look at how we are going to assist outside the fence line and so everything we have here connects outside,” Raymond said.
The NAS Jax EOC would work with the EOC in downtown Jacksonville, as well as law enforcement and Jacksonville Fire & Rescue if needed.
Edmond started as an emergency management officer NAS Jax in August 2008 right before Tropical Storm Faye arrived in September.
“We got a lot of lessons learned because that was one of the first storms that came to Duval in a very long time,” Raymond.
He says experiencing Faye helped build a lot of the systems they have in place now.
“If you train properly you will execute properly,” Raymond said.
Edmond also said that they can still use their old EOC facility if needed.
There are showers, beds, food and a back-up generator there, so it can be used as an extended stay.
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