The room also serves as a training area for emergency management courses taught by OEM during regular business hours. The Operations Desk in the EOC is manned by OEM personnel. This group maintains situation maps, status boards, the official log of events, prepares situation reports, briefs the Director, and supervises all activity within the main EOC area. Messages are relayed through this group to the Area Coordinators and then to all towns. The Communications Center provides the direction and control network for the EOC through radio, computer, and telephone systems between the state, local, and federal governments.
All localities can receive Warning notifications through several systems.
These systems will be discussed in a future article. Department Desks within the EOC are staffed by selected key state and private utility personnel. These positions mirror all the functions of the Operations Desk. The Departments manage and prioritize resources at the direction of the Governor or their commissioner. Other utilities may be summoned if needed.