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By Tammye McDuff
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard will be honored for her public service to the City of Commerce at the dedication of the city’s new Emergency Operations Center [EOC] on Saturday October 25 at 3 p.m.
The Congresswoman has been an advocate for Commerce and local cities as a member of the State Assembly from 1986 to 1992 and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2014. With her almost three decades as a legislator, she has helped secure government funds for street and road improvements; help to reduce pollution with natural gas vehicles and been instrumental in the construction of the newest EOC.
According to the latest report from Commerce City Hall, the new state of the art facility will serves as headquarters for first responders in a city and state emergency for disasters, such as earthquakes, fires or other major adversities. The EOC facility was opened January 2014, with Allard stating “This new facility will provided Commerce city staff and Los Angeles county safety personnel with the appropriate tools and technology needed to effectively protect the public’s health and safety in the midst of a disaster.”
The new EOC facility has been constructed to be fire resistant and sustain major seismic activity. It features a fully integrated audio / visual communications system, a backup generator, emergency equipment and extensive emergency supplies. The fully equipped EOC kitchen will be able to provide needed facilities, allowing Los Angeles Sheriff’s and Fire personnel to focus on pressing emergency response situations, with around the clock service in the event of a disaster. The project was fully funded by a one million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security which was coordinated through the California Emergency Management Agency with assistance from Allard’s offices located in the Citadel offices.
The dedication ceremony will include emergency preparedness lectures and vendors, with many safety information services available to residents.
The City of Commerce’s Emergency Preparedness Office is supervised by an emergency preparedness officer who is responsible for directing the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), coordinating the City’s emergency response, and providing training to the city’s 22-member Urban Search and Rescue team (USAR). The USAR team members are certified by the State in System Rescue I.
The office also maintains a fully operational mobile EOC. The mobile EOC is also used for a variety of routine functions, including area policing and neighborhood watch operations.
