Officials celebrate $2.75M expansion of Providence Emergency Operations Center

PROVIDENCE MAYOR Angel Taveras speaks at the October 2012 groundbreaking of the expansion of the Providence Emergency Management Agency's Charles Street headquarters. The project was completed on Oct. 29, 2014. / COURTESY THE PROVIDENCE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
PROVIDENCE MAYOR Angel Taveras speaks at the October 2012 groundbreaking of the expansion of the Providence Emergency Management Agency's Charles Street headquarters. The project was completed on Oct. 29, 2014. / COURTESY THE PROVIDENCE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

PROVIDENCE – State and local officials celebrated the completion of the $2.75 million expansion at the Providence Emergency Operations Center on Wednesday.
They said the project will help provide around-the-clock emergency capability for responders.
The project was funded through a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and $980,000 secured by U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin as part of the fiscal year 2010 Appropriations Bill.
Additional federal and city funds made up the remainder, and Providence served as the lead applicant for the grant in partnership with the communities of East Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Warwick, West Warwick, North Providence, Cranston and Johnston.
The 9,236 square foot expansion will provide significant regional capability allowing the city and its key partners to better respond in the event of a major emergency, according to a press release.
The building has a training center, garage and warehouse, offices, kitchen, full bathrooms, lockers and showers, medical clinic, laundry and sleeping quarters.
“The completion of this expansion further establishes PEMA as a leader nationally and will help to ensure that the Greater Providence area is well prepared to meet the challenge of any emergency,” Mayor Angel Taveras said in a statement.
Following a Federal Emergency Management Technical Assistance review and detailed on-site analysis in 2007, several shortfalls were identified within PEMA’s headquarters, including inadequate space within the facility for administrative and emergency operations. The expansion enabled those shortfalls to be corrected. The new facility will provide enough space to ensure a ready, around-the-clock presence within PEMA’s headquarters in the event of an emergency, officials said.
“This expanded Emergency Operations Center is important not only for Providence but for the entire Greater Providence area,” PEMA Director Peter Gaynor said. “The Providence EOC is a state of the art facility that will greatly impact our ability to respond in the event of a large scale emergency, ensuring that PEMA is properly equipped and has adequate space to be able to accommodate a large team of emergency management professionals working around the clock.”
In addition to Reed, Taveras and Gaynor, other officials who attended the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony were U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Rep. David Cicilline and Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts.

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