New 9-1-1 Center Opens at Sea-Tac Airport

-Combined communications facility includes Emergency Operations Center-

The Port of Seattle has christened a new Combined Communications and Control Center at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Known as "C4" because of its initials, the change means that both routine and emergency communications centers at Sea-Tac are now located in a single facility.

C4 is in a secure section of the airport's new Concourse A. Other portions of Concourse A will open in the next several months; the grand opening of Concourse A is scheduled on June 15.

"The C4 facility is the first of the major components of our new concourse to come on-line," said Gina Marie Lindsey, managing director of aviation for the Port. "Over the next few months the public will get to see other aspects of this really terrific addition to our airport."

Included in the new combined communications center are:

The airport's 9-1-1 center, which handles call-receiving and dispatching for the Port of Seattle Police and Fire Departments
The Airport Communications Center, responsible for non-emergency airport communications, aircraft gate assignments, operation of the subway system serving the North and South satellites, maintenance dispatch and monitoring of the airport security system.

The airport's Emergency Operations Center, which is activated during emergencies and staffed by the airport's senior management.

Other systems and equipment that support airport operations.

The $23-million-dollar facility not only has the most sophisticated equipment currently available, but is designed so it can be easily upgraded as technology advances. Dispatchers will be able to communicate virtually anywhere on the planet through the use of telephone, radio and satellite links.

Included in C4 is an updated video monitoring system. Video cameras located in both public and secure sections of the airport can be monitored and recorded.

"This is about both the comfort and the safety of our passengers," said Michael Ehl, Sea-Tac's general manager of operations. "We'll be able to do everything from adjusting the air conditioning to dispatching fire trucks, all from one central location."

There is plenty of work to coordinate. The Port of Seattle Police Department has about 100 officers, and is the 10th largest police department in the state. The Port Fire Department has 38 firefighters, and provides both fire protection and emergency medical services at Sea-Tac. Additionally, there are nearly 300 members of the trade crafts who maintain all aspects of the facility.

Concourse A includes an office building, 14 gates, additional airline ticketing counters, four new baggage carousels and an arrivals hall designed to make "meeting and greeting" of arriving passengers much more convenient. It also will include two sections of moving sidewalk, the first in Sea-Tac's 55-year history.

The ticket counters are expected to open April 1, and the gates and baggage claim section open in June. Port staff will occupy the office building this month, freeing vital office space in the main terminal for airlines and tenants and making way for the Central Terminal expansion project.

Sea-Tac Airport is in the midst of a $4.1 billion expansion and renovation program; the last Sea-Tac expansion project was completed in the early 1970s. In addition to opening the new Concourse A and arrivals hall, the Satellite Transit Station will be remodeled to serve the South Satellite - construction will be phased to provide minimal impacts on our passengers. The new station is expected to be complete in November 2004. And, the Central Terminal is being expanded; when complete, in spring 2005, it will provide expansive views of the airfield and offer new retail and concessions to travelers.