Excerpts from rrstar.com:
When a major storm, catastrophic fire or disaster strikes, Rockford Fire Department personnel roll carts of computers, phones, and other equipment into a classroom at fire headquarters.
About 30 minutes later, the classroom is transformed into an emergency operations center where the response of dozens, if not hundreds, of emergency personnel can be coordinated.
Using a $1 million grant secured more than a year ago, plans are to build a dedicated and permanent emergency operations center on the first floor of Rockford Fire Department headquarters, at 204 S. First St.
The emergency operations center is used to assist and enhance the work of emergency dispatchers working in the fire department’s 911 center. Call takers in the center routinely field 27 calls an hour on average.
The Rockford City Council is considering a contract not to exceed $80,000 to acquire architecture and engineering for the project.
