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ORISKANY---The Oneida County Airport, located in Oriskany, has been selected as the site of the New York State Preparedness Training Center. First unveiled by the Governor in his 2005 State of the State address, the nation's first State Preparedness Training Center, centrally located in the Mohawk Valley, will serve as the hub for emergency response training for natural, technological and terrorism related disasters for first responders at all levels of government.
"There is no greater priority than ensuring the protection and safety of all New Yorkers," Governor Pataki said. "This state-of-the-art center is our latest initiative to ensure that our police, fire, emergency medical services - - and the entire first responder community - - receive the most advanced training to be able to respond to any emergency."
"Our goal is to develop this training facility into a federally recognized and accredited Center, which will serve as a model for the nation and the training hub for the first response community from across the Northeast. There is no better location for this critical new facility than the Mohawk Valley, and the selection of the Oneida County Airport will ensure that this important training begins as soon as possible," the Governor added.
Pataki also announced that future plans at the former airport location include the construction of a state-of-the-art emergency operations center for Oneida County and New York State agencies. The operations center, also known as a command center, will provide a practical classroom setting for first responders across the State. Additionally, it could be utilized by Oneida, neighboring counties and State agencies in the event a catastrophic event or disaster occurs in the central part of the state.
Training at the state-of-the-art facility is scheduled to begin in mid-2006. The terminal at the county airport will house classroom and administration space and allow for future expansion. Other existing buildings may be used to house research and development facilities, and have space for operational training to include WMD, response, prevention and recovery along with a partnership with the City of Utica Fire Department to provide hazardous materials and technical rescue training. The tarmac will serve as the site for an emergency vehicle operations course that can be utilized by both State and local first responders. The Center's security perimeter and secluded location are ideal for conducting "real time" training exercises without impacting surrounding neighbors.
The Oneida County Airport site was selected after an exhaustive assessment process of more than seven months during which prospective sites were weighed against the following criteria:
Capacity of facility that could accommodate 500-600 training slots simultaneously;
Immediate availability of space for classrooms and potential for future expansion;
Cost-effective capital investments required to establish the initial facility in keeping with environmental and potential health concerns;
Security of location and seclusion of site;
Open space that would be required for real-life training and exercises including the establishment of an emergency vehicle operations course;
Potential for future expansion of the training facility as the State curriculum evolves as well as the construction of a state-of-the-art emergency operations center in the Mohawk Valley;
Proximity to transportation infrastructure;
Availability of lodging and dining for trainees;
Recurring operational costs; and
Site closest to becoming a turn-key operation.
Other Mohawk Valley locations considered in the site assessment process were the Old Main building at the former Utica Psychiatric Center; the Mid-State Correctional facility in Marcy and the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome.
The Governor made available $1 million for the State Office of Homeland Security's development of the Center's overall concept along with a statewide training and exercise strategy that will ensure a comprehensive approach to raising the level of awareness and preparedness in the ranks of the state's first responders.
The Office of Homeland Security chaired a steering committee of State agencies which developed the strategy and are participating in the planning of the new training center. Those agencies include State Emergency Management Office, Division of State Police, Department of Health, Division of Criminal Justice Services, and the Office of Fire Prevention and Control.
In addition to the selection of the airport facility, the Office of Homeland Security has had discussions with the four area colleges - Utica College, The State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNYIT), Herkimer County Community College and Mohawk Valley Community College - to explore a partnership in developing a regional approach for delivering preparedness training. OHS has had similar discussions with four-year and community colleges around the state. 12-06-05
© 2005 North
Country Gazette
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