Jurisdictions and organizations across the Nation use Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) as an element of their emergency management programs.

Typically, an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) supports the on-scene response by relieving the Incident Commander of the burden of external coordination and the responsibility for securing additional resources.

An EOC is:

• A physical or virtual location where staff from multiple agencies come together to address imminent threats and hazards
• Staffed with personnel trained for, and authorized to, represent their agency/discipline
• Equipped with mechanisms for communicating with the incident site
• Providing support to the incident by obtaining resources 
• Applicable at different levels of government

EOCs may be established at the Federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local levels.

If you are from a non-governmental organization (NGO) or from the private sector, you may be asked to assist at the EOC to assess a situation, provide advice, and make recommendations based on your knowledge and professional expertise.