HomeMy WebLinkAboutNR113018KEMAunveilsnew18screenvideowallinEmergencyOperationsCenter04,
BERNARD P. CARVALHO JR.WALLACE G. REZENTES JR.
Mayor Managing Director
COUNTY OF KAUA'I
KAUA'I EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
News Release
For Immediate Release: November 30, 2018
ELTON LISHIO, ADMINISTRATOR
Tel (808) 241-1800
Fax (808) 241-1860
KEMA unveils new 18-screen video wall in Emergency Operations Center
LIHU`E — Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr. and representatives from the Kaua'i Emergency
Management Agency, Kaua'i Fire Department, Kaua'i Police Department, the County Information
Technology Division and contractor Modtech Solutions unveiled on Wednesday the recently -
installed grant -funded upgrades to the county's Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
The audio-visual IT upgrades feature an 18-screen, multiple -layout high definition video
wall and multiple breakout room displays, with touchscreen controls and supporting hardware
and software. Multimedia feeds include video -teleconferencing, cable access, emergency
management statewide software, geographic information system interfaces, and more.
"The KEMA EOC serves as the county's primary and central command hub for our
community emergency management team before, during and after any major disaster or large-
scale emergency — making it a most critical facility," said Mayor Carvalho. "We thank our state
and federal partners for enabling us to bring our existing EOC to the cutting -edge of
technological capability. I'm proud to hand this over to incoming Mayor -Elect Derek Kawakami
and his team, as this will help enhance public safety, along with preparedness and response
capabilities for the next decade and more."
The project was funded through the DHS/FEMA Homeland Security Grant Program, via
the State of Hawai'i Department of Defense Office of Homeland Security. It was locally -managed
by KEMA Senior Staff Officer Chelsie Sakai, with the support of project -lead Martin Amaro.
"Having been with the agency when we installed the original equipment and seeing the
steady advance of technology, I'm very pleased with our collaboration on this project," stated
KEMA Emergency Management Administrator Elton Ushio. "The advances are truly amazing,
and key capabilities such as operational coordination, command and control, situational
assessment, planning, public information and warning, along with other critical operations, will be
greatly enhanced by these upgrades."
From left to right: KEMA's Martin Amaro, Managing Director Wally Rezentes Jr., KEMA's
Chelsie Sakai, KPD Captain Mark Ozaki, KPD Acting Assistant Chief Paul Applegate, KPD
Assistant Chief Roy Asher, Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr., Fire Chief Robert Westerman, KEMA
Administrator Elton Ushio, IT Manager Del Sherman, Modtech's Hank Nguyen, Modtech's Shane
Tsutahara, and KFD Assistant Chief Dean Lake.
From left to right: KEM Administrator Elton Ushio, Modtech's Hank Nguyen, Mayor Bernard P.
Carvalho Jr., Modtech's Shane Tsutahara, and Modtech's George Webb.
KEMA's audio-visual IT upgrades feature an 18-screen, multiple -layout high definition video wall
with touchscreen controls and supporting hardware and software. Multimedia feeds include
video -teleconferencing, cable access, emergency management statewide software, geographic
information system interfaces, and more.