Livingston Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (LOHSEP)

Challenge

When Chris Anderson became Director of the Livingston Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (LOHSEP), he found that the parish’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was functional but outdated. The space looked more like a small computer lab than a modern command center.

Communication between agencies was fragmented. Teams often relied on phone calls, handwritten notes, or delayed emails to share information. During disasters, multiple departments sometimes responded to the same issue because they were unaware of one another’s actions. The existing displays and systems were also limited, preventing everyone from having a shared, real-time view of what was happening across the parish.

Anderson understood that in emergency management, timely information and coordination can save lives. His goal was to modernize the facility by adding advanced communication systems, centralized displays, and built-in redundancy, while staying within budget and complying with state procurement rules.

Solution

After researching vendors on the state technology contract, Anderson chose Link Integration to design and install a comprehensive technology upgrade for the EOC.

Together, they created a complete command-and-control solution that included:

• WebEOC Integration: A web-based crisis management system that provides real-time visibility across local, state, and federal agencies.
• Unified Visual Display Wall: Large, high-quality screens showing radar, highway cameras, WebEOC dashboards, and live news coverage.
• Redundant Connectivity: A Starlink satellite Internet system that automatically activates if traditional networks go down.
• Enhanced Radio Network: Hundreds of radios distributed to key personnel, including law enforcement, fire departments, public works, and schools, to ensure unified communication.
• Vehicle GPS Tracking: Real-time tracking of emergency and public works vehicles to improve resource management and dispatch efficiency.

Anderson was deliberate about how taxpayer dollars were spent. “We made sure to invest in what mattered most: systems that make a real difference during an emergency,” he said.