Chatham's New Emergency Center Feeds Crucial Information

Three 55-inch computer monitors in Chatham's portable Emergency Operations Center are set to stream useful information to the borough officials who would gather around them during a disaster.

On one screen is a map of the borough that can be digitally marked up to show where there are, for instance, downed utility poles and trees and power outages.

Another screen has a database of emergency calls that can be sorted by priority. As a dispatcher in another location enters a call, it appears on the screen in the operations center.

And, assuming there's Internet access, a third screen can show local news reports, weather maps and other useful information.

The center recently was set up in council chambers for a day of police, fire and emergency management "open houses." It took about 20 minutes to set up, and while council chambers is envisioned as an ideal location for it, the equipment can be hooked up anywhere, said Stephen Williams, deputy coordinator for Chatham's Office of Emergency Management.

Williams was tasked with updating Chatham's emergency operations center. The project was completed on schedule and under budget with the support of administration and elected officials. The costs came to less than $20,000, he said.

The center also is equipped to broadcast video on Chatham's local access TV channel. The borough's video updates also could be posted online to keep residents informed, Williams said.

"If you don't have current information you can rely on, you can't make decisions," he said.

The setup is completely different from Chatham's emergency operations center of a year ago, when they worked from a different room downstairs.

"During Sandy, we had a white board and a phone," he said.

Williams said he doesn't think you can put a price tag on the value of accurate, up-to-date information during emergencies, and recent storms showed Chatham the extent to which it needs to be able to rely on itself.