Crisis? All Hands Online in Anaheim

Imagine a high-tech war room filled with monitors piping in real-time data, televisions blaring with every news channel, and interactive maps tracking the location of emergency crews.

Now imagine that the room exists only in cyberspace, available online to authorities 24 hours a day.

A fire chief can log on using his wireless laptop and see exactly where his units are, access building floor plans in seconds and even check the wind direction and speed.

Representatives from Electronic Data Systems and Anaheim city officials will unveil today what they say is a first-of-its-kind virtual command center that EDS began developing after Sept. 11.

They say it will help them respond faster and smarter during critical times and immediately put decision-makers on the same page, even if they are not in the same room.

“What we have done is actually very simple -- so simple that I think some people in the public would say, ‘You mean you haven’t been doing that before?’ ” said Tom Wood, Anaheim’s assistant city manager.

“What organizations tend not to do very well is bring the pieces together so we are all looking at the same thing at the same time.”

As city leaders started brainstorming with the EDS tech team, they realized the wealth of information and devices they already had in their system: street closures, utility outages, cameras at 30 intersections, vehicle locators in every firetruck, business licenses, phone directories and details from calls dispatched through the police and fire departments.

Soon they hope to have access to even more, including security cameras at high-profile venues such as Angel Stadium, Arrowhead Pond and the Anaheim Convention Center. Police cars, utility trucks and other city vehicles will also soon have devices sending signals to pinpoint their locations.

The data are transmitted via the city’s computer network and accessible only to top city officials and emergency responders as part of the Enterprise Virtual Operations Center. They will be able to access the system -- which has safeguards to deter hackers -- whether at work, at home or on vacation a thousand miles away.

The system is so fast that when Wood hears a fire siren, he can log onto his computer and immediately see the 911 call log, which engines are responding and who owns the building that’s on fire.

Anaheim Police Chief John Welter, the former assistant chief in San Diego, said the virtual program would have helped San Diego police in 1984 when a gunman killed 21 people and wounded 19 at a San Ysidro McDonald’s.

“To have had this technology when you’ve got an active shooter and to be able to tie into floor plans and security cameras, we could have done a better job managing that scene,” Welter said. “For public safety, this is going to be a great tool.”

The system could be put to its greatest test during a terrorist attack or natural disaster.

Officials also intend to use it for routine matters, like managing traffic when the city is crammed.

EDS began developing the system after Sept. 11, said Steve Hutchens, EDS’ global leader for homeland security.

In Anaheim, it found a city that had the groundwork in place -- data systems that would work without a major overhaul.

“Our solution can solve problems, but we can’t build that underlying data,” Hutchens said. “Sometimes time and opportunity converge to create a perfect moment.”

Anaheim received a $10.2-million grant from the Department of Homeland Security for safety measures to prevent terrorist attacks. The virtual command center cost $1.2 million and is being paid for from that grant, Wood said.

Wood, EDS officials and Mayor Curt Pringle have been demonstrating the program to lawmakers and homeland security officials in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. They will officially unveil it Thursday at a national government technology conference in Anaheim.

The hope, Wood said, is that other cities and counties will adopt it, which would allow Anaheim to widen its network. If Orange County and Anaheim’s neighboring cities create a similar program, it will be easier for agencies to coordinate responses, Wood said.