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Inside Escambia County’s Command Center On Wheels
September 4, 2011
If a major tropical storms or other disaster hits Escambia County, or even during a large event like a Blue Angels air show, Escambia County’s Office of Emergency Management has a mobile communications trailer ready to roll into action.
The emergency command center consists of a Freightliner tractor and 48-foot trailer outfitted to handle an emergency communications. Powered by a 20 KW diesel generator, the trailer has a complete radio system, cellular phone, conventional landline and fax system as well as computer network.
“We can run any scene from this trailer,” John Dosh, Escambia’s emergency management manager said. “It is completely self contained.”
The garage-kept trailer is designed to be deployed to a disaster or emergency, or large scale scene to coordinate communications between fire, EMS, law enforcement and other agencies. It is also used at events like the Blue Angels air show. At events such as the Blue Angels, the trailer is equipped with a 30-foot pneumatic mast with a camera system to allow operators to monitor a crowd.
The trailer has 320 square feet of climate control work space, including a conference room (pictured left), communications center and restroom. The trailer, Dosh said, was used one in emergency situation in North Escambia — after a February 2008 tornado touchdown in Molino.
Pictured top and bottom: Escambia County’s emergency command center. Pictured top inset: Emergency Management Manager John Dosh operates the command center’s video system from a computer control. Pictured bottom inset: The trailer’s conference room. NorthEcambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
15 Responses to “Inside Escambia County’s Command Center On Wheels”
This will come in handy after the economic collaspe, for coordinating counter efforts pertinate to U.N. peacekeepers, just kidding. It will be great for natural disasters as well.
Boondoggle!
Here’s a thought: if you are the one this helps, would you be so eager to complain about it? I think that with all the storms and being in a military area this may be a very useful tool.
Isn’t it funny how these kinds of stories just reinforce the “you can’t please everyone” idea????? Someone will be for and someone will be against everything and anything! Everything is life is NOT about money even though some people seem to put alot of focus and emphasis on money.
Wonderful coverage of a resource available to the county in the event of an emergency or diaster and for safety supervision during a largely populated event crowd! Now, will the equipment every be beneficial to the point it pays for itself? That is going to be totally an individual opinion also based on if this equipment is ever needed and used for an individual’s benefit.
I agree with a lot of the comments here. Many of you make some
very good points.
One point that is not thought through however, is that the Feds will
spend it somewhere else if not here.
Someone has to be the first person to STAND UP and say YOU don’t
have money to hand us for RICH BOY toys or anything else and we are not going let you borrow anymore on a debt we can not pay now.
PLEASE! will the first reasonable Sheriff, Commissioner or State Representative
please STAND UP !
America is broke now, and we have had enough. I am happy that this
unit was there during the hurricane emergencies, but enough spending
is enough now. Let’s stop buying things we can no longer afford.
How many times has this unit had to be used? Not wanted to but had too. Just because it was supplied by the fedsdoesn’t justify it. I paid for part of it. The emergency services has a generator and everything they need. This is still a waste of money. It is a pig with lip stick on it. There is no justification for it. Only touchy feel good scenarios. Where is the Tea Party when you need them?
To me it looks like a good rig to take to Nascar races?
I am not sure that I remember it right, but I think I was told at the time the County put this unit in service that the trailer was purchased and the tractor (truck) was possibly from a drug confiscation. At any rate a large portion was from tax dollars, whether federal, state, or local.
There are many uses for a unit like this. The only use is not for the failure of the dispatch center or emergency operations center. One example is in the case of a large scale event, such as a tornado touch down or large train derailment, the emergency command center can be deployed to the effected area to operate as a command post and an on site dispatch center. This will take the extra load off the on duty dispatchers so they can concentrate on normal daily calls like fires, automobile crashes, and medical emergencies. This way if you have an emergency, you will still get the service that you need.
I agree that we all pay the taxes that purchase these types of things, whether federal or local. But the truth is, the federal government will spend the money somewhere, whether we like it or not. I applaud the County for getting the funding that they have. At least I can see the dollars at work and know that local citizens and responders can be a little safer during an emergency.
I am paying a lot of my taxes out of all my pockets for a lot of people who do nothing but stand in line with their hands out, and their kids behind them…that being said, this unit, as well as a field kitchen, and Escambia County Deputies went to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi following hurricane Katrina, to assist local law enforcement agencies, who were facing the destruction of their communities, and the disaster thrown upon their own families. Florida State Troopers went to New Orleans to assist with that disaster. I remember Ohio Power trucks working in my neighborhood, with banners saying “we are here to turn you on.” I have no problem with my taxes going for this…we may be the next community thinking Armageddon has arrived. Thank you ECSO for you service.
I agree with Walnut Hill Roy!!!!!!
To TAXPAYER:
Escambia county has had this mobile communications center since 2000 or 2001, nothing new.
I really like to visit your site cause U go places and tell stories that most people would only dream about. The pictures of the emergency command center. Wow!!! Me as a photographer I would kill to go to that kinda stuff. Great Job keep up the great work!!
gee I thought the huge structure made of bricks on W street was built tough enough not to need such a giant waste of tax payer money. Please someone tell me how many times has this huge waste of space time and money has actually been used when the normal dispatch center and center on W street was incapable of operating? Even if this was bought with fed dollars a city the size of pensacola sure doesn’t need it and much less the worthless staff to drive it and keep it up and running. That is more people to may salary’s to and health insurance. But hey whats 11 trillion in debt…… lets go ahead and make it a even 20.
I am totally relieved now that I know that I’ll be watched as I am watching the Blue’s fly. Thanks big brother
“At events such as the Blue Angels, the trailer is equipped with a 30-foot pneumatic mast with a camera system to allow operators to monitor a crowd.”
Be thankful that your community has such a nice mobile command center. I know first hand those are extremely important in emergency response situations. I’ve had to work out of them a few times in my career. Ours was not as nice as this one but we were able to still do our job and send help when it was needed. I would be so thankful to work in one this nice if the situation ever came up that it was needed. Remember….911 dispatchers save seconds, seconds save lives!
I wonder why I have the feeling that the command center was paid for with Federal Tax Dollars? As I’ve told scores of local politicians over the years who say that it won’t cost us anything, it’s all federal money: “does it make any difference whether it comes out of my left pocket or my right pocket? I’m still paying for it!”