ResourcesAPS Opens Emergency Operations Center
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In 2007, staff at Aurora Public Schools opened a new Emergency Operations Center (EOC). This EOC allows members of the APS Incident Response Team (IRT) to work collaboratively from a single location while providing assistance to district sites involved in critical situations.
The EOC has many technological enhancements which increase the efficiency of IRT response. Team members have assigned workstations which have data, phone and power supplies. Computers in the EOC have Infinite Campus software which provides student information. Select staff has access to ZONAR which is a GPS tracking system for our transportation vehicles. Information and data can be shared by IRT staff through a visualizer, smart board and webinar meetings. IRT staff can outreach to students, 
parents, staff and community members through ConnectEd. ConnectEd delivers communications via phone calls, text messaging and email. The speed of this system allows mass contact in less than 30 minutes. The EOC also has two video screens which will allow several news stations to be viewed simultaneously.
The IRT believes that the technology brought to the APS EOC will not only help the team provide efficient services to district staff, but also to the first responders working at or on a critical incident. Technology interface with the Aurora Police and Fire Departments puts information and data in the hands of first responders with minimal delay. The opening of this EOC verifies the commitment of Aurora Public Schools to ensure the safety of all students, staff and community members while on district property.
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