Magaziner Delivers Federal Funding for New Emergency Operations Center in Warwick
WARWICK, R.I. — Today, U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02) celebrated $530,437 in federal funding he secured for a modern, fully-operational Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for Warwick’s nearly 83,000 residents.
The over half a million dollars in federal funding secured will be used to relocate the Warwick Fire Department’s 70-year-old Emergency Operations Center to the Department’s newest station in the Potowomut neighborhood and ensure the EOC is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. This will improve emergency response times throughout Warwick and surrounding communities.
“When Rhode Islanders are in danger, they deserve swift assistance, and this federal funding for the Warwick Fire Department will improve emergency response times to keep Warwick residents safe,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner. “I am committed to supporting first responders in Congress and ensuring they are equipped with the tools they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.”
“I want to personally thank Representative Magaziner for working hard and helping to secure this funding,” said Frank J. Picozzi, Mayor of the City of Warwick. “We can finally relocate our 70-year-old Emergency Operations Center into the fire department’s newest station in the Potowomut neighborhood. The funding will also help provide state-of-the-art communications equipment that is vital to improve our city’s emergency response times.”
“The City of Warwick is extremely grateful for Representative Magaziner’s commitment to supporting first responders with the resources needed to improve delivery of life saving services by allocating the funding to relocate our Fire Emergency Operations Center from its present outdated and antiquated location to Fire Station #10 on Potowomut Rd. This grant will allow us to upgrade outdated communication equipment and manage emergencies in a secure and modern facility,” said Peter McMichael, Chief of the Warwick Fire Department.
The City of Warwick’s EOC is currently located in a facility that suffers from structural, logistical, and security issues that have been extremely costly to address over time. The current site also lacks the security infrastructure to prevent disruptions from an act of terrorism or catastrophic weather event.
This grant will be used to relocate the EOC to a modern, state-of-the-art facility and purchase equipment – including Emergency Reporting Signal Receiving Equipment, radio communication consoles, and computer server, among others – to keep Warwick residents safe.
This federal funding, secured by Rep. Magaziner, is among 15 grants totaling $12,883,568 for Rhode Island community projects in the FY 2024 federal budget. The full list of the 15 local projects can be found here.