Cutting-edge command center now a dream, but EMA director will keep pushing for it

Injury forces veteran firefighter to retire
3/19/10
Edgewood third-graders recreate Titanic’s tale
3/19/10
Boy, 14, youngest in county to be tried as an adult
3/19/10
Mohawk Mania grips community eager for state championship
3/19/10
Drug bust nets 40 pounds of pot, 5 arrests
3/19/10
> More headlines

By Josh Sweigart, Staff Writer 12:48 AM Saturday, November 21, 2009

HAMILTON — Butler County Emergency Management Director Jeff Galloway’s dream is a sprawling, 9,000-square-foot emergency command center. Sleeping bunks. Showers. A media room, and cutting-edge technology.

It’s a far cry from the poorly equipped, 580-square-foot conference room that currently serves as the county’s Emergency Operations Center.

In the interim, county officials have broken the project into three phases, the first of which may be done in about six months.

That first phase will move the EOC from the sixth floor of the Government Services Center in downtown Hamilton to the building that formerly housed the agricultural extension office on Princeton Road. The building also is the home of the county’s new emergency radio system, and has nearly 2,000 square feet of open space.

With minimal county money and a federal stimulus grant, county Administrator Tim Williams said the building can be ready to go in months. And the EMA has state grants ready to buy equipment for the facility.

EMA officials would still have offices downtown, but they and police, fire, hospital and other emergency workers would all report to the new EOC to coordinate response in an emergency. There will be a small conference room and 16 desks, each seating two people.

“It’s definitely a step in the right direction,” Galloway said.

The plan also calls for the Butler County Sheriff’s Office to move up to six emergency dispatchers to the other side of the building. Sheriff Richard K. Jones said it will save money to have the dispatchers and radio system under the same roof.

The second phase is where things get bogged down. That phase calls for a massive building addition to include 18 EOC stations each seating three people and space for 24 dispatchers.

The county is struggling to balance its books and has no money for this. Williams said he’s looking for state and federal grants to help. “It’s something that we’ll go forward with. It’s just a matter of timing.”

Then comes phase three, when the EMA will move its offices once the expanded EOC is done. “You never want to build to today’s standard,” Galloway said. “You always want to build for the future.”

Share this article

ADD COMMENT

Comments feed

@someonewhoknows - My facts are correct. So you are stating that I was incorrect about the LEERN channel?

Bob
12:16 PM, 11/22/2009

REPORT ABUSE

Bob and Right on Bob do not know what they are talking about. The new 800mhz. system is way better than the VHF radios we used to have. The coverage in buildings is amazing. We can now communicate inside buildings we never were able in the past. Also way more channels allow multiple operations to run at the same time without covering each other. Know the facts before you speak.

Someone who knows
12:03 PM, 11/22/2009

REPORT ABUSE

Bob is absolutely correct on the LEERN channel. This was more about Motorola salesmen "convincing" local department reps to buy the 800mhz radios. Trips to "seminars", gifts, etc where doled out. Ask anyone that uses 800mhz radios how good they are inside of buildings. They have less power than the other freqs do and they are worthless in plenty of places one would want radio contact.

RIght on Bob
11:39 PM, 11/21/2009

REPORT ABUSE

If an officer need to speak to an officer of a different agency there has been a channel available sine the 1970's. Called LEERN (Law Enforcement Emergency Raido Network). Every police car in the state has the ability to access this frequency. But empire builderw want their own.

Bob
9:47 PM, 11/21/2009

REPORT ABUSE

The entire county police & fire departments are limited to one frequency for dispatch and all other radio traffic. If Fairfield City wishes to talk to a Butler Count police or fire unit it must be relayed via dispatcher and back to the unit. This radio system is 1970 vintage. It is time for a new system.They are going to the 800 Mghz digital system which will allow all Butler departments to talk anywhere in the county and even to Hamilton & Warren county. That is why we need to new system.

CAC
8:54 PM, 11/21/2009

REPORT ABUSE

There are 9 additional comments

SHOW ALL

We welcome your comments. Please remember this is a public forum and behave appropriately. Your comments must conform to our visitor's agreement.