Escambia activates EOC tomorrow

Escambia County will activate its Emergency Operations Center at a level 2 on March 17 at 8 a.m. The county will also declare a local state of emergency.

“We are proactively activating the EOC and declaring a local state of emergency to ensure we have the appropriate resources for this unprecedented event, ” Escambia County Emergency Manager Eric Gilmore said. “We encourage the public to follow CDC guidance for social distancing and proper health and hygiene to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Escambia County.”

A Level 2 EOC activation is a partial activation that includes essential Emergency Support Functions related to this type of incident for response and recovery. There will be a 9 a.m. planning meeting at the EOC with the ESF 8 partners, and one of the items discussed will be the hours of operation for the EOC.

The essential ESF 8 partners in the the level 2 activation include:
• Hospitals
• Assisted Living / Skilled Nursing / Personal Care Homes
• Rehabilitation / Physical Therapy Agencies
• Laboratory agencies
• Doctors’ offices
• Home health care providers
• Emergency Medical Service agencies
• Aeromedical services
• Adult day care
• Mental health agencies

Last Friday, the county established a Joint Information Center to streamline distribution of public information regarding COVID-19. The EOC and JIC are located in the Escambia County Public Safety Building, 6575 N. “W” St. The media are welcome to work in the media center while the JIC is staffed.