The city of Utica is working on constructing a new emergency operations center. The facility is expected to enhance emergency response capabilities. 

Areas across New York state, like Monroe and Erie County, have facilities like this, serving as a centralized hub for first responders.

“Some ideas over how we can not only improve fire department response throughout the city, but what we can do to bridge the gap in emergency management and operations within the city as well,” said Utica Fire Chief Scott Ingersoll.

Ingersoll said they’re not only looking to reconstruct Fire Station No. 7, located in Oneida Square, but also create an emergency operations center.

“Over the past couple of years, we've seen some larger-scale natural disasters, including the 2019 flooding storms," Ingersoll said. "That was a multi-day operation."

Ingersoll adds that the emergency operations center would be a central place that agencies within and outside the city can use to respond to natural disasters and large-scale emergencies, as well as be used to map out plans for community events like the Boilermaker and the Great American Heart Run.

“I anticipate this project being a years-long endeavor where we are pursuing more federal and state funding to complete the project,” said Ingersoll.

Approximately $1,200,000 was secured from Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to reconstruct the fire station and build an emergency operations center.

“We are tapped out for space at this facility," Ingersoll said. "There's really no more room in the fire department itself."

Station 7 alone responds to about 12,000 calls a year. But being that it was built back in 1963, Ingersoll said there are a lot of changes that need to be made.

“With the new facility, we would have more defined, clean and dirty areas where, you know, our dirty areas are functional areas for the ambulances," Ingersoll said. "If we come back with bloody equipment, we have a designated spot to clean that off at."

In a modern fire station, there is a separate turnout gear storage location. Part of the reconstruction would be to make space for that gear along with easier access for maneuvering their fire and ambulance trucks in and out of the station.

“We're going to be talking to the design architects and engineers," Ingersoll said. "We are tapped out for space at this facility. There's really no more room in the fire department itself."