Wilmington Emergency Operations Center

The engagement

What we did

Wilmington, founded in 1638, is the oldest city in Delaware. The city’s emergency operations center and administrative offices were located in a former car dealership southeast of downtown in South Wilmington, sharing space with fire department administrative offices, on a peninsula bounded by the Christina River on two sides. The city’s initial concept was to convert a pair of former automotive repair bays into an emergency operations center. Following its assessment, the Center for Public Safety recommended a different approach: creating a stand-alone facility connected to the rear of the main structure and purpose-designed for emergency operations. The recommended addition would be raised several feet to remain operable in the event that the Christina River overflows its banks, and the recommendation incorporated new emergency power generation together with hardening of the main facility and perimeter security. The engagement illustrates CPS’s willingness to recommend the solution the operational requirement demands rather than the least-cost adaptation initially contemplated.