Scotland County 911 | Emergency Operations Center

Scotland County, NC was one of the first counties to take advantage of the, then new, grant programs offered by the NC 911 Board to fund PSAP consolidation and enhancement. The facility design was defined by a Project Design Report (feasibility study) prepared by Becker Morgan Group and L. R. Kimball which examined spatial needs, operational conditions, and technology migration and upgrading. The result was this 7,500 sf building, which includes a 911 Communication Center (E911), Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and support spaces. The project brought together the County’s five answering points – Emergency Services, Sheriff, Laurinburg Police, and 2 Fire – under single leadership and one physical location. The center “went live” in January 2015. Estimated at $2.59 million, the project was bid at $2.1 million, allowing Scotland to expand the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) by 480 sf and still provide $970,000 for 911 technology.

The E911 area supports 8 full telecommunicator positions and includes offices for supervisors, center administrators, bunk and break spaces. The EOC holds 54 staff during activations or training, can accommodate 100 for special events, and includes WebEOC as well as video monitoring of news, weather, CAD, mapping, and resource allocation. The joint data center includes 15 full height racks with in-rack cooling, full UPS, and emergency generator for maximum uptime.

The building is hardened physically – composed of solid concrete walls with continuous insulation, a brick veneer, and a sloped metal panel roof. Ballistic protection is provided at certain openings and walls. The facility meets NFPA 1221 and NC 911 Board standards for design, construction, and operations.