The Charlotte Urban Area Security Initiative has implemented nine standalone E Team systems to enhance emergency preparedness throughout the region. This E Team deployment allows public safety agencies within five counties and two cities in North Carolina, as well as one county in South Carolina, to coordinate efforts across state lines to respond to critical incidents and prepare for planned events.

Designated as a UASI by the Department of Homeland Security after Sept. 11, 2001, the Charlotte UASI Region is responsible for terrorism incident planning for the entire area. Efforts include prevention and response to large-scale regional incidents, as well as preparation for significant public events such as festivals and athletics. In addition, this region conducts annual exercises for two local nuclear facilities — one located in southern North Carolina, and one just across the border in South Carolina.

“Incidents do not stop at state or jurisdictional borders,” said Garry McCormick, battalion chief, Charlotte Fire Department. “A unique combination of geographic proximity and critical assets brought jurisdictions spanning two states together to form the Charlotte UASI Region. In order to coordinate emergency management efforts for the region, we chose to leverage E Team, which facilitates information sharing and enhances our situational response efforts across borders.”

Prior to implementing NC4’s E Team, the Charlotte UASI Region conducted emergency response and coordination through handwritten notes and spreadsheets, as well as the state system, EM/2000, for tracking and reporting. Mecklenburg County used E Team during its effort to shelter Katrina evacuees in 2005.

Funded via a DHS grant, each of the six counties and two cities within the Charlotte UASI Region self hosts E Team. Users have access to a common framework for information sharing that includes standardized reports, requests, notifications, directives, and annotated maps, as well as a complete set of Web-based incident management tools to sort and prioritize data. Fully implemented in six months, NC4 provided separate trainings for each county in order to tailor the E Team application to meet specific county needs.