Operations & Operations Support Section
This section is responsible for the Colorado State Emergency Operations Plan, the state Emergency Operations Center, and coordination with state agencies in support of local jurisdictions during emergency or disaster situations and for special events. Also in this section are Communications, Facilities and Equipment, and Hazmat.
The Colorado State Emergency Operations Plan (SEOP) was updated in 2007 to follow the format of the National Response Plan ( i.e., Basic Plan, Functional, Annexes and Hazard-specific Annexes) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
The Colorado Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC) is located in Centennial in a building shared with South Metro Fire & Rescue. Click here for directions. The alternate location is at Camp George West in Golden, Colorado.
The MACC is a c•enter for coordination of Local, State & Federal support to disaster emergencies. It has redundant communications systems, offers resource mobilization and tracking, a policy room for affected elected officials. It's capable of managing state support of large scale incidents, is expandable to accommodate multiple agencies/jurisdictions, and has a secure video teleconferencing for direct continuity of government.
The state Emergency Line is answered in-house during office hours and by the Colorado State Patrol after hours. Calls after hours are referred to our Duty Officer. Staff rotate Duty Officer responsibilities; i.e., on call during off-duty hours. The Duty Officer is supplied with a laptop computer, cell phone, and several pagers to enable a quality response from the state at any hour.
The Communications Section is made up of several redundant communications systems in order to support the MACC under any circumstances. We have radio equipment that ranges through all radio bands that include low, high, very high, ultra high, and 800 megahertz frequencies. This is supplemented by a full range of amateur radios and amateur radio operator support. Additionally, the communications section is equipped with the Colorado Crime Information Computer and federal and state National Alert Warning Systems dedicated telephone circuits. The MACC has also a full range of mobile radio equipment as well as cellulars.
The Colorado Division of Emergency Management is active in the hazardous materials arena by supporting the Colorado Emergency Planning Commission (CEPC) the entity charged with implementation of the Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act - Title III - Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act. CDEM also manages US DOT Hazardous Materials Emergency Planning grant program that makes annual grants for all aspects of hazmat planning, exercising, and training. CDEM is proactive as well as reactive in the hazardous materials venue as are many other state and local agencies.