County cool to EOC pitch (10/24/06)

Construction of a nearly $1 million emergency operations center and training facility in Jay County was explained to Jay County Commissioners Monday afternoon by an Indianapolis architect.

But while noting that such a system would be beneficial, commissioners did nothing more than listen to the presentation and didn't plan to pursue the concept any further.

Terry L. Burnworth, president of Pyramid Architecture and Engineering and Construction Administration, Inc., explained how an EOC center would benefit local law enforcement and emergency management officials in the event of an emergency situation in the county.

"Through training you can ask yourself, 'are you prepared?'" Burnworth told commissioners Milo Miller, Gary Theurer, and Faron Parr, as well as several law enforcement personnel from around the county that heard the presentation.

Burnworth showed commissioners a schematic that included a 4,600 square-foot above-ground, tornado resistant building, with emergency power systems, and an operations room that would double as a training center.

Following Burnworth's presentation, Jay County Sheriff Todd Penrod explained that if dispatchers were put into a different building such as an EOC, additional staff would be needed to man the jail to answer phones and open doors.

"If anything, I'd like to see a mobile command center," Penrod said.

"That would help everybody in the county."

Concerning the construction of a new center, Theurer said, "to build a new building for $1 million, I don't see that as feasible."

Another suggestion Penrod said could be considered was if and when expansion of the current jail was undertaken, such an emergency operations center could be included in that construction.[[In-content Ad]]