A project to build or refurbish an emergency communications center—including a 911 center—or an emergency operations center is no small undertaking. Generally speaking, the decisions made will impact the agency and its stakeholders for at least 20 years, perhaps a half century or more.
Mission-critical facilities must meet today’s operational and technology requirements while being flexible enough to accommodate the unforeseen practices and systems deployed in the future. The complexity of such a project is daunting. Every single decision impacts many other aspects of the facility and the desired operational outcome—just as a pebble tossed into a lake creates ripples that are many times larger than the pebble. Therefore, a great deal of thought needs to be put into sizing, purposing and equipping the facility.
In light of that, we are excited to announce the launch of MCP's new book nearly ten years in the making, "Expert Advice to Guide Your Mission-Critical Facility Project."
The basis of this book is to offer guidance to those who are spearheading facility projects, whether they be government officials, public safety directors or facility managers. The MCP Team has learned the hard lessons about what works, and what doesn't, when it comes to facility design. This book is intended to share those lessons in order to help project leaders navigate the constraints and challenges that could have a detrimental impact on bringing the facility to fruition.
Planning is Everything
This book focuses specifically on mission-critical facilities that must survive any natural or man-made event that impacts or threatens life or public safety. We cannot stress the importance enough of planners thoroughly considering the impact significant events could have on these facilities and their systems. Doing so will help design flaws surface before one of these events occurs.
And, because every location encounters different threats and must adhere to different codes and requirements, we can’t possibly provide specific guidance in this book. Instead, we present many of the choices we are confident a reader could face, as well as many of the strategies and tactics that have worked for us over the years.
These complex projects are best executed through streamlining and clarifying every step of the often-lengthy process, which encompasses facility design, construction, technology integration, and the smooth transition of emergency operations and staff to new facility.
Here are just a sampling of the key questions this book discusses:
- What stakeholders should be involved in a facility project, and who’s the right person to act as a project champion?
- How many parties will play vital roles in the facility project, and what should they be held accountable for?
- What are the key considerations during the budgeting stage?
- What role does a public safety consultant play in the design development phase?
- What are important factors to consider during the site selection phase?
To get an idea of what you can expect to learn in the book, take a look at contents with this preview.
If you have a facility project anywhere on your agency’s five-year roadmap, this book is must-read to help you navigate the process.
Email us if you’re interested in talking to an expert about your facility plans, and we’ll thank you with a copy of this industry-exclusive book.
