What We Do
Lee County Emergency Management staff works from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) located on Ortiz Avenue in Fort Myers.
The EOC is the official County Warning Point. The EOC receives emergency information through the Emergency Dispatch Center (E-911) and reports serious emergencies to the State Watch Office located at the State EOC in Tallahassee. We, in-turn, coordinate State and/or Federal involvement or assistance within the County.
The EOC operates at one of three (3) preparedness stages or Activation Levels.
- Level Three (3) – Monitoring, is day-to-day operations with routine staffing and office hours. Off hours emergency coverage is provide by “on call” teams.
- Level Two (2) – Partial Activation, is when some, but not all, EOC elements are activated. This may include additional staff and extended work hours.
- Level One (1) – Full Activation, provides round-the-clock staffing and services during an actual or pending emergency. A Full Activation is typically accompanied by a State of Local Emergency declared by the Board of County Commissioners.
In a Full Activation, the EOC is staffed with key personnel from first responder agencies, emergency relief organizations, County departments, municipalities, utility companies, media and other essential agencies and is the focal point for coordination of emergency response and recovery activities throughout the County.
One of our major goals is to help you prepare for an emergency, well before it happens. Some of the ways we do this are listed below. We can provide...
- Information on natural and technological hazards that may affect you, your family or business. Click here to see the Hazard Vulnerability Analysis.
- Advice on how to protect yourself and your family or your business
- Technical assistance in developing emergency plans for public agencies and the private sector
- Advice on how to exercise your emergency plan
- A guest speaker at your group/organizational meeting
- A tour of the EOC for your group or organization
- Information on how you can support your community during a disaster, such as being a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member
- Information on emergency preparedness training opportunities
- Information on emergency related volunteer opportunities in our community