McConnell leadership tours local EOC

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Abigail Klein
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing public affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE, Kan. --  For more than 20 years, McConnell has partnered with Wichita emergency planners to help maximize the effectiveness of emergency response.

This is why McConnell leadership and first emergency responders toured the Sedgwick County Emergency Operations Center, Feb. 19, located in downtown Wichita, Kan.

The Sedgwick County EOC facility, funded by Sedgwick county and maintained by county emergency management, provides McConnell, local frontline emergency responders and community leadership a central to prepare and withstand inclement weather, acts of terrorism and other various potential emergencies, said Randy Duncan, director of the Sedgwick County EOC.

"We have a very close working relationship with McConnell emergency management, and they come and attend a number of different meetings here and sit on our local emergency plan committee," said Gary Curmode, Sedgwick County Fire Chief District No. 1. "McConnell's participation [with the EOC] is important because they are a vital part of the community and can provide us with resources we don't have and vice versa."

These goals are achieved by maintaining this partnership, which includes McConnell leadership and emergency responders, local leadership and emergency responders to develop and coordinates contingency response plans, and provides training for coordinated responses and contingency operations.

Representatives from the 22nd Medical Group, 22nd Civil Engineer Squadron, 22nd Mission Support Group and other base agencies toured the building, the EOC facility and the 911 call center located on the second level.

During the tour, McConnell members asked about the facility's training programs, emergency operations and structural integrity to understand the effectiveness of the center.

"This facility can withstand up to 250 miles per hour of wind and has been reinforced with windows that can sustain the impact of a [2 inch by 4 inch] piece of wood blowing at 100 miles per hour," said Mr. Duncan.

In addition to the building stable structure, the 911 call center receives approximately 450,000 per year.

The tour of the facility continued a more than 20 year partnership that McConnell has maintained with local Sedgwick County emergency management.

"This tour helped solidify the relationships we have cultivated over the years with the local community," said Col. Pat Rose, 22nd MSG commander. "It ensures that all [government] resources are being utilized in order to expedite recovery time during of emergency."

Local residents can also monitor the capabilities of the local EOC by viewing emergency spotter reports online at www.scksel.info or by watching and listening to local television and radio stations for information on emergencies effecting Sedgwick County.