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CCEMA FACILITIES & EQUIPMENT
CCEOC | MOBILE
1 & MOBILE 2 | OUTDOOR
WARNING SIREN SYSTEM | COLOR WEATHER
RADAR
CULLMAN COUNTY
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (CCEOC)
Cullman
County Office Building, Suite G-3, 402 Arnold Street, Cullman, Alabama
35053
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CCEMA moved into the new Emergency Operations Center
(CCEOC) in October of 1997. The new EOC in the County Office Building
replaced cramped and outdated facilities in the basement of the Cullman
County Courthouse. A broken water line in this facility forced CCEMA
operations to temporarily locate in a mobile home parked adjacent to
the EOC for 13 months. In October, 2003, the CCEOC moved back into
their permanent quarters in the basement of the Cullman County Office
Building. CCEOC serves as the central command center during emergency
operations in Cullman County. It provides a space for all agencies,
who respond to emergencies in Cullman County, to work and communications
access in order to speed emergency resources to the scene of any event
which might affect Cullman County.
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CCEOC
also contains offices and/or assembly space for EMA staff, the Cullman
County Rescue Squad, the American
Red Cross, RACES (Radio Amateurs in Civil Emergency Service {HAM radio})
and the Cullman County Association of Volunteer Fire Departments. The
facilities include radio rooms, bunkrooms for EMA staff, kitchen space,
and two conference rooms, which seat 8 and 100 persons respectfully.The
CCEOC contains the latest in communications equipment, including VHF
and UHF base stations which provide contact between the EOC and the
various emergency response agencies in Cullman County, satellite
contact with
the National Weather Service, Internet access, NAWAS, the statewide
EMA 800 MHz system and satellite feeds of current weather and radar
information.
NAWAS (North American Warning System) is a dedicated telephone link
between CCEMA, state emergency management, the National Weather Service,
Alabama
Department of Public Safety, law enforcement agencies, the Alabama
National Guard and other Department of Defense agencies. The statewide
EMA 800
MHz system is a radio telephone network that connects the CCEOC with
CCEMA field units, other counties emergency management agencies,
the State
EOC in Clanton, the Alabama National Guard, and the National Weather
Service.Also in place at CCEOC are the control units and the dome for
Cullman County's own color weather radar and the control center for
the Cullman County siren warning system. All of this equipment and
the center
are generator supplied should there be a power failure.Cullman County's
new EOC is something in which all citizens can be proud. The excellent
facilities, combined with dedicated staff and emergency responders
means that Cullman County's citizens have some of the best emergency
services
available in the state.
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| CCEMA
MOBILE ONE AND MOBILE TWO |
CCEMA staff
members are on-call 24/7. A 2003 Ford Expedition and a 2001 Dodge Durango
make up the CCEMA fleet and are
used when an EMA official must travel to the scene of emergency operations.
These units are assigned to the director and deputy director, who also
utilize these vehicles for travel to and from training sessions, meetings
and other business. Each unit is radio- and mobile phone-equipped and
contains emergency contact records and hazardous materials guides.
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| OUTDOOR WARNING SIREN
SYSTEM |
Beginning in the aftermath of the Joppa Tornado of 1995, Cullman County
Emergency Management Agency began installing warning sirens in Cullman
County as funds became available from local governments and through state
and federal grants. The first siren at Joppa went on-line in February
1998, followed shortly by Baileyton and Holly Pond. After the 1998 Arkadelphia-Colony
tornado, sirens were added in Arkadelphia, Hanceville, Good Hope, Fairview,
Berlin, Smith Lake Park, the Industrial Park, South Vinemont, Cullman,
Garden City, Dodge City, Welti, West Point, Loretto, Jones Chapel, and
Logan. CCEMA hopes to add additional sirens in the near future until
all denser populated areas of the county are within coverage.
Cullman County uses Whelan stack type sirens and Whelen Vortex sirens.
Some sirens can be heard up to two miles depending on weather and terrain
conditions. The central control station for these sirens is located at
the CCEOC and back-up control stations are located at the Cullman County
911 Centers.
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During
the early morning hours of February 16, 1995, lightning from a thunderstorm
struck the radar at the National Weather Service office in Huntsville,
causing a fire that closed the office. Overworked staff at the Birmingham
office took over, but not before a tornado slammed into the Joppa community
in eastern Cullman County, killing one person and injuring several
before moving into Arab in Marshall County. Cullman County, caught
without warning, recognized the need to be able to keep its own eye
on the weather.Located atop the County Office Building is the radar
dish for Cullman County's own color weather radar system, which came
about as a result of the Joppa tornado. Cullman County was the first
county EMA in the state to purchase and operate its own radar. The
radar is an Ellison Weather Systems model E400 and is similar to those
found on commercial aircraft. CCEMA staff use the radar to monitor
storm intensity (which is reported to the National Weather Service)
and to track storms in order to warn persons who may be in their path.
The radar was paid for through donations by the citizens, businesses,
governments, and civic organizations in Cullman County to help prevent
events like those of February 16, 1995 from ever happening again.
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