Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and committee member U.S. Representative Angie Craig of Minnesota’s 2nd District visited with MAC Chair Rick King recently to discuss funding for the planned MSP Public Safety Coordination Center.
The new facility will consolidate into one building public safety and key operational functions that are now spread across the MSP campus.
(Pictured, left to right: MAC Chair Rick King, US Rep. Peter DeFazio, US Rep. Angie Craig.)
Specifically, Airport Police, Fire Station 2, the Emergency Communications Center and Airside Operations will be housed together in the new building. Those departments will form the core of a new Airport Operations Center, which will also include representatives from other Operations departments.
There will also be space in the Airport Operations Center for representatives from federal agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection.
“Right now, with everyone spread out, it takes time to communicate and develop a coordinated response to an incident,” said MAC Chair Rick King. “In the new facility, people from across the organization will be stationed together permanently, not just in emergencies, so we can make decisions and respond to incidents immediately.”
The discussion with Representatives DeFazio and Craig was an opportunity for Chair King to brief them on the MAC’s plan and to help them understand the need for federal participation in funding such facilities.
The facility is consistent with the direction of the Transportation Security Administration’s National Framework for Public Area Security.
Developed in response to terrorist attacks at Brussels International and Istanbul Ataturk airports, the framework calls for establishment of full-time airport operations centers to “enable coordinated interagency responses for day-to-day operations and, most importantly, facilitate instantaneous and coordinated responses to emergency situations.”
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