The new Monroe County Emergency Operations and Public Safety Center is located in Marathon, Florida. Located in the center of the Florida Keys, the facility is designed to operate as a strategic logistics and coordination hub for emergency response in this highly vulnerable island environment.
The project was designed with multiple grants including a FEMA HMGP, a Florida Department of Transportation grant and Florida Division of Emergency Management Grant. Furthermore, the location of the project adjacent to the Marathon International Airport put additional constraints on the facility.
The result was a two-story, 24,442-SF building with a designed wind speed of 220mph (3-second wind gust), an impact level of a 9lb. 2×4 fired at 110 mph and a flood elevation of more than 20 feet. The building is a cast-in-place concrete structure elevated on a plinth to both break a flood surge and provide a clear pad under the building for water retention.
The building is also designed to operate at a minimum of 96 hours completely off the grid by incorporating two enclosed emergency generators, an uninterruptable power supply system, a potable water tank, and sanitary sewer tank. The entire building, including all critical support systems and equipment, are elevated 21 feet and 6 inches above sea level to protect against the calculated 10,000-year storm surge.
The building provides spaces for emergency management offices, a 2,500-SF incident command center, a nine-position 911 dispatch center for the county’s Sheriff’s Office, fire administration, and multiple support spaces including a data center, commercial kitchen, large seating area, and an outdoor seating area.
