Determining a need for, and designing and placing an effective Emergency Operations Center (EOC) into operation can be a daunting task. As corporate awareness for sound business continuity plans grow, quite often those same corporations determine a need for an EOC — a necessary component to a sound business continuity plan for most mid-to-large size corporations, hospitals, colleges and universities.

Choosing the Right EOC

When planning the development of an EOC, take a broad approach, focusing on how it will operate on a day-to-day basis. There are two basic types of Emergency Operations Centers: a full-time center, which is in constant use and usually housed in a large, technologically advanced room; and a part-time EOC that is housed in shared space and opens only for an impending emergency.

A corporation's emergency manager must consider the increased costs associated with full-time EOCs — the most expensive being the salaries of the people who operate it. For a small to mid-sized corporation, or for an organization such as a municipality or hospital that does not provide emergency services, the part-time, shared space option may prove to be a cost-efficient alternative.

Not only should the choice between a full-time EOC and part-time center be based on the organization's size, but also whether it interacts regularly with outside agencies, and is part of the critical infrastructure of a community (i.e. hospitals, utilities, transit companies), or whether it is an organization with multiple corporate sites.

Design and Layout

Although the size of an EOC may vary based on organizational size and need, the layout must be efficient, comfortable and large enough to accommodate section chiefs and other leadership personnel.

The use of Incident Command Structure (ICS) is imperative to a successful EOC. ICS is based on a common framework within which people can work together effectively to solve an incident. ICS is designed to give standard response and operation procedures to reduce the problems and potential for miscommunication. An EOC without an ICS in place will only be a chaotic room with ineffective distribution of information and resources.

The comfort of those occupying the EOC should be a primary concern during the design phase. Everything from having the air conditioning on generator power to the ergonomics of the seats should be considered. Although frequent rotation of staff should be conducted, 8- to 12-hour shifts are not uncommon, so comfort level will have a large impact on operator performance.