Emergency Communications Center

Hanover County needed a new Emergency Communications Center to house the administrative, dispatch, and support staff associated with the Emergency Communications Department. Wiley|Wilson began this project with a study into whether the County should renovate an existing building or build a new one. This study included a building condition assessment and cost analysis. The County decided to construct a new building.

The new emergency communications center is a 10,000 SF, single story facility that houses administrative and support staff offices, building and grounds security, dispatch area, computer and equipment rooms, meeting and training rooms, conference rooms, kitchen and break area, storage areas, and restrooms. The building also serves as an emergency operations center.

Due to the critical nature of this facility, the mechanical systems must maintain the internal conditions of the building on a 24 hours a day, 365 days a year basis. To accomplish this, redundant mechanical systems were installed to insure that an equipment failure does not adversely affect operations.

Two standby generators with automatic transfer capabilities were installed for redundant power. Two 50% capacity uninterruptible power systems (UPS) were also installed. Infrastructure was provided to accommodate the telephone, data network, and other communications.