what is eoc

An Emergency Operations Center (EOC), also known as the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), is a central command and control facility responsible for carrying out the principles of emergency response, preparedness, and management at a strategic level during an emergency. It ensures the continuity of operation of a company, political subdivision, or other organization. The EOC is a location from which leaders of a jurisdiction or organization coordinate information and resources to support incident management activities. It is responsible for strategic direction and operational decisions, and it does not normally directly control field assets, instead leaving tactical decisions to lower commands. The common functions of EOCs include collecting, gathering, and analyzing data; making decisions that protect life and property; maintaining continuity of the organization within the scope of applicable laws; and disseminating those decisions to all concerned agencies and individuals. EOCs can be physical, virtual, or hybrid locations and may be housed in temporary or permanently established central facilities. They can be found in many nations, at all government levels, as well as in larger corporations that deal with large equipment or numbers of employees. EOCs may also be co-located in the same room as an emergency communications center. The EOC structure and functions largely depend on the requirements of the individual organization or jurisdiction.