The Importance and Benefits of Regional Coordination Centers (RCC)

 

When it comes to preparing a regional all-hazards public safety response, Regional Coordination Centers (RCC) are essential in helping to provide a 24/7 interagency support structure.

CRCOG’s Capitol Region Emergency Planning Council (CREPC) has established an RCC in the Town of Manchester, the operational component responsible for coordinating support and resources during a large-scale regional incident or event. In addition, there is a backup RCC at the CRCOG offices and the capability to operate a virtual RCC.

CREPC established the Regional Emergency Support Plan (RESP), which conceptualized the organizational and communications structures needed to effectively support regional emergency response and recovery operations.

“RCCs help activate regional emergency personnel and resources in our community,” said CRCOG Director of Public Safety and Homeland Security Cheryl Assis. “RCCs represent a resourced physical or virtual location capable of managing the activities outlined in the RESP.”

As such, the RCC operation is designed to support the following RESP goals:

  • Maximize the preservation of life and property
  • Correct or alleviate, as expeditiously as possible, serious disaster or emergency-related conditions which present continued threats to the health or welfare of the residents of Region 3
  • Facilitate a return to normalcy by all practical means

The RCC assists in achieving the incident management goals by coordinating municipal, regional, and state resources deployed in the response to the emergency at hand by following FEMA’s Incident Command guidelines. It is important to note that all incidents are local and that our RCC will support the local response.

The RESF-5 Emergency Management Duty Officer makes activation of the RCC after receiving a call for assistance through the Regional Integrated Coordination System (RICS) from a municipality requesting mutual aid assistance. Staffing is provided by CREPC leadership and Emergency Support Function Chairs assisted by the Manchester Community Emergency Response Team.

Notable activations of the RCC include:

  •  Kleen Energy Plant Explosion
  • Power failure at Johnson Memorial Hospital
  • October 2011 Snowstorm
  • Ebola issues
  • COVID-19 pandemic

Our region is fortunate to have members with the vision and drive to make the Capitol Region a model for the Coordination, Communication, and Collaboration in planning for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies or disasters of any type.
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