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After decades of downtown living at 25 Grosvenor Street, the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) has moved to a new home just west of Keele Street and Wilson Avenue. The new state-of-the-art space is located on the fifth floor of the recently-built Forensic Services and Coroner’s Complex at 25 Morton Shulman Avenue.
The facility is designed to monitor and react to major emergencies throughout the province. Featuring the latest emergency management technology, the space allows the Office of the Fire Marshall and Emergency Management (OFMEM) to coordinate the provincial response to emergencies while collaborating with relevant partners.
The coordination of an effective response to various major events including forest fires and flooding requires 24/7 staffing, 365 days a year. With 82 seats contained within the fifth floor command centre, a 21-metre wide media wall ensures staff are constantly updated with the latest news.
Pieced together by 30 LED rear-projector screens, the display communicates to staff a variety of real-time information, including traffic, weather, social media and television. The wall display has the distinction of being the largest of its kind in Canada.
"The new Provincial Emergency Operations Centre is an important resource to help coordinate the province's role in reducing the impact of a disaster and speed up recovery by communities," said Ted Wieclawek, Ontario Fire Marshal and Chief, Emergency Management. "Ontarians can help by being resilient and prepared to deal with an emergency."
Special expertise may be called upon in certain circumstances, including officials from numerous provincial ministries. The Scientific Room provides the space necessary for emergency management experts to coordinate an effective response to a nuclear meltdown, as an example. Fortunately, the room is usually only used for training exercises.
The Duty Office is staffed 24/7 and receives emergency calls, coordinates the logistical needs of the centre, writes daily reports and maintains a personal log of actions taken. It is located just outside the main command centre, providing easy access to and from the dozens of other staff.
"The people in this room which operate around the clock have the information they need to make better decisions and deploy strategic resources in the most effective manner," said Yasir Naqvi, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. "We need to make sure we are ready at all times."
The launching of the new facility coincides with the 20th annual Emergency Preparedness Week. The theme this year—Know the Risks, Reduce them Together—stresses the importance of emergency preparedness for those living within apartment buildings, condominiums and seniors residences.
The space has only been open for a few weeks, but has already had tests of its capabilities. Recent flooding in several remote James Bay communities has forced their evacuations, with the PEOC providing the essential tools necessary to realize a quick response to these types of emergencies, especially in a time of increasingly harsh weather events.
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