ENGLEWOOD, N.J. — Englewood is getting $450,000 in federal funding to finish construction and equip its new Dispatch and Emergency Management Center, a facility designed to coordinate police, fire and EMS operations during major emergencies.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5) announced the funding Monday, Nov. 2, saying the money will help complete the center and install the technology needed to make it operational.
Once completed, the facility will allow police, firefighters, EMS personnel and city officials to coordinate emergency operations from a central location, sharing information in real time during major storms, fires, evacuations and other incidents.
“This funding finishes the construction and fits out the technology, so this center can go live. That means the police chief, the fire chief, and our other partners can sit together and run the response to a major storm, fire, or other incident,” Gottheimer said.
The center is intended to improve communication between emergency dispatchers, first responders in the field and the officials responsible for coordinating the city's response.
Rather than operating separately, emergency personnel and decision-makers will be able to work from the same information and coordinate their actions from one location.
Gottheimer was joined at the announcement by Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes, Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Zur, Councilwoman Lisa Wisotsky, City Manager Robert Hoffmann, Police Chief Thomas Greeley, Deputy Police Chief Matthew De La Rosa, Fire Chief Jeffrey Kaplan and Deputy Fire Chief Kyle Hummel.
The latest funding follows more than $4 million in federal assistance Gottheimer said he has secured for Englewood's Fire Department since taking office.
That includes $739,931 through the federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant program and approximately $3.36 million through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program, which helps departments maintain adequate staffing levels.
City officials have not announced an opening date for the new emergency center.
