Written by Jeff Angileri| Photo by Craig Schreiner

UW-Whitewater awarded $225K to enhance region’s emergency preparedness

Nearly a quarter million dollars in federal funding will be managed by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to create a technologically advanced and sustainable Emergency Operations Center [EOC] for the region.

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin secured $225,000 as part of Department of Homeland Security annual funding legislation that was passed into law recently.

“Wisconsin families need to know that when an emergency strikes, their communities have what they need to keep them safe and help them recover,” Baldwin said in a statement. “I’m proud to have secured this funding to help communities across our state strengthen infrastructure, improve emergency preparedness, and keep Wisconsin families safe for years to come.”

Funds will be used to establish a dedicated EOC space on the Whitewater campus. It is expected to serve as a collaborative emergency headquarters for UW-Whitewater, the City of Whitewater, and Walworth, Jefferson and Rock counties.

“This investment will allow UW-Whitewater to move from a locally equipped Emergency Operations Center to one that is regionally equipped, strengthening our ability to support both campus and community response efforts,” said Chancellor Corey King. “It also reflects and enhances the institution’s ongoing investment in emergency preparedness and coordinated response between multiple agencies and organizations.”

UW-Whitewater Police Chief Matthew Kiederlen said the dedicated space will offer communications technology and sustainable power generation, among other features.

“The goal is that our regional EOC can sustain itself for weeks at a time and will include redundancies, such as solar power, to ensure ongoing operations during power outages,” he said.

Editor’s note: This press release was received from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.