Communities support new state-of-the-art facility to coordinate emergency response

CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish, Broadview Heights Mayor Samuel J. Alai, and Cuyahoga County Councilman Michael J. Gallagher, along with public safety officials and partner agencies, broke ground on the new Cuyahoga County Emergency Operations Center.

“I’m pleased to break ground on our new Emergency Operations Center, which will handle the coordination and management of emergency preparedness and disaster management,” said Budish. “I want to thank Mayor Samuel Alai, the City of Broadview Heights, and our various community agencies for continuing to bring Cuyahoga County to the forefront of public safety.”

The Emergency Operations Center (EOC), located at 9543 Broadview Road in Broadview Heights, will serve as a dedicated facility for use by all of Cuyahoga County. Benefits of the new EOC include:

• The ability to co-locate the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Emergency Operations, and Cuyahoga Emergency Communications System (CECOMS) in the same building.
• State-of-the art technology, which will enhance communication capabilities between on-scene responders, dispatchers, and EOC staff as well as allow the County to extend its dispatch capabilities.
• Increased information sharing between agencies and improved continuity planning and messaging.

Additionally, the EOC will have a large training center and a Special Operations Garage to house multi-jurisdictional public safety equipment and vehicles. 

“We are happy to partner with the County to provide a secure site for the EOC that will be beneficial to the safety and security of the County,” said Broadview Heights Mayor Samuel Alai.

County Councilman Michael J. Gallagher, who also serves as chairman for the Public Safety & Justice Affairs Committee, understands the significance the new EOC building will have on the county. “I, along with the entire County Council, am proud to have been a part of moving this very significant project forward,” said Gallagher. “We look forward to the completion of the facility and the necessary services it will provide the entire region.”

The Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works and Public Safety & Justice Services were awarded approval of a contract with Shook Construction Company for design build services in November 2014. Construction is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2016.