Sandia National Laboratories hosted a ribbon cutting Aug. 7 for its new Emergency Operations Center. Left to right are Sandia Labs Environment, Safety & Health Director David Stuhan, Sandia Labs Chief Operations Officer and Deputy Labs Director David Gibson, Sandia Labs Director James Peery, Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration Jill Hruby, U.S. Representative New Mexico 1st Congressional District Melanie Stansbury, NNSA Sandia Field Office Manager Daryl Hauck and NNSA Infrastructure Modernization Division Acting Director Amanda Tapia-Pittman. (Photo by Craig Fritz) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.
Sandia National Laboratories opened the doors August 7 to its new, cutting-edge Emergency Operations Center aimed at enhancing emergency incident management coordination and communications for the workforce and the community in the event of an emergency, disaster or crisis.
The $42.5 million, 25,000-square-foot facility, located on Kirtland Air Force Base, is scheduled for full operations by early 2024. It will house the National Nuclear Security Administration and Sandia emergency management staff offices, along with the 24/7 Emergency Management Communications Center. This center will feature dedicated incident-management and coordination spaces, as well as multi-purpose training rooms. The construction project was awarded to Summit Construction of Albuquerque.
Emergency Operations Center Functions
Functions of the Emergency Operations Center include round-the-clock coverage during emergencies or crises staffed by the labs' emergency management specialists. The new facility is equipped with improved tools and enhanced capabilities to collect, analyze and share incident information with internal and external emergency response organizations, such as Kirtland Fire Emergency Services, Sandia Medical Clinic or the University of New Mexico Hospital.
The new Emergency Operations Center will be home to Sandia's Emergency Management organization overseeing day-to-day operations. Additionally, the labs' Emergency Management Communications Center will provide 24/7 support for emergency and nonemergency calls, with space for three dedicated 911 call stations, two dedicated nonemergency call stations and one dedicated Sandia duty officer station.
Sandia National Laboratories' new Emergency Operations Center will house National Nuclear Security Administration and Sandia emergency management staff offices. (Photo by Lonnie Anderson) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.
The facility boasts redundant mechanical and electrical systems, a backup generator, showers, a kitchen with a pantry, a dining area and temporary sleeping areas, ensuring it can operate independently for at least 72 hours.
Improvements with new Emergency Operations Center
