Real estate associations have a place at emergency table.

The city unveiled the new headquarters for the Office of Emergency Management last week, a 65,000 s/f building in downtown Brooklyn that will act during crises and special events in the city as a central point of information and coordination between various government agencies as well as industry associations.

Both the Building Owners and Managers Association of New York (BOMA/NY) and the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) will have desks in the new $50 million building, which was built to replace the former Emergency Operations Center that was located in 7 World Trade and destroyed during 9/11.

With a 15-foot video monitor, state of the art audiovisual systems, and connectivity to a planned citywide wireless communication system for emergency responders, the new building will be a place where law enforcement and various other federal, state, and local agencies will gather to assess and manage city emergencies.

Organizations like BOMA/NY and REBNY will have desks in the facility in order to disseminate information to their members. Their constituents, who include much of the city's community of building owners and managers, are also are in a position to potentially communicate an unfolding emergency situation to the Office of Emergency Management.

"It creates this amazing level of communication," said Anthony S. Lifrieri, the president of BOMA/NY. "We may have people on the ground who see what is going on and can provide the office with that kind of information."

During the aftermath of 9/11, when the type of organized, concerted effort between agencies was hindered by the fact that the Emergency Operations Center had been destroyed, Lifrieri remembered how authorities were stymied during the initial cleanup effort because they couldn't connect with BOMA/NY and REBNY. "They were looking for building owners and managers in buildings that had been contaminated from the Trade Center collapse and couldn't get the contact information," Lifrieri said. "There was no effective organized hierarchy at that point and so they needed to get in touch with us.

"Now with this new facility, if you need something from another agency, you need support or assistance, or you have to exchange information, you just walk across the room and talk to them. It creates that face time for everyone which is so important in having organization."