Emergency Operations Center

St. Charles County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is a 30,000 square foot facility that houses all the County’s emergency functions previously located in different areas:

This is where the planning and coordination of disaster preparedness, response and recovery takes place; it is where staff answer and process 911 calls around the clock; and it is the hub for data technology. Bringing these services together in one building allows for a more coordinated and efficient response during an emergency. It makes our community a safer place.

The EOC opened in fall 2018 and is strategically located in O’Fallon, Mo., adjacent to the St. Charles County Police Department, at 1400 T.R. Hughes Blvd. 

By the Numbers: EOC, Regional Emergency Management, and Emergency Communications 
(Updated July 2020)

EOC:

  • Facility statistics
    • 30,000 total square feet
    • $24 million to build (more than $500,000 under budget)
    • Can withstand an EF-4 tornado and remain fully operational without electricity, water or sewer for three days
    • 33 cameras monitoring the building and site

Regional Emergency Management:

  • Promotes unified planning and coordination of disaster preparedness, response, and recovery for the county.
  • Since the EOC opened in 2018:
    • 36 activations
    • 22 trainings/exercises
    • 48 meetings
    • Serves as the back-up location for continuity of operations planning for the U.S. National Weather Service – St. Louis office and the St. Charles County Department of Public Health

Emergency Communications:

  • Provides dispatching services for all fire and EMS agencies within St. Charles County as well as the St. Charles County Police Department and Sheriff’s Department. The department also maintains and supports the digital radio system and the Next Generation 911 phone system used by all police, fire, EMS and public works departments throughout the county.
  • Call volume:
    • Average 175 911 calls per day
    • Average 280 dispatched incidents per day
  • During the pandemic, dispatchers
    • Handled 1,596 EMS 911 calls using Protocol 36, which helps determine if the caller has COVID-19 symptoms.
    • Screened 7,326 police and fire 911 calls using the Emerging Infectious Disease Surveillance Tool (EIDS) protocol to determine if anyone at the scene has been diagnosed with, has symptoms of, or been exposed to COVID-19.