This week has been spent in Homeland Security training, COM L, to learn how to be a communications leader at an event that requires more than one agency to respond. We are studying only events that the responders are responding from 50 miles or less. Class starts promptly at 8 AM and is out at 4 PM. We get one hour for lunch but have very few breaks. It is a lecture class with two instructors. Sometimes it is hard to concentrate that long but I have managed to pay attention and not to go to sleep.
Homeland Sercurity has grants to help with disasters and major events. Oklahoma was given such a grant to provide a command/communications mobile unit that can respond anywhere in the state. It is available to any public safety agency by making phone call. Depending where the event is, it usually takes no more than four hours for it to be on site and set up. My area, Edmond, would be much faster because the command post is parked only 6 or 7 miles south of our city. The tractor above has the largest engine a truck can have. When responding to an incident, there is a highway patrol escorte, red lights and siren in front and back. It can move down the road if needed.
The command/communications trailer itself is a 50 foot trailer with double slides onboth sides. It is equiped with satalite communications, several cameras, big screen televisions, radios, voip telephones and just about everything else an agency might need during an emergency. The only thing needed on a scene of a disaster is the people to man the trailer. There is two seperate rooms. One room is a dispatch area with a place for 6 dispatchers. The other room has a large conference table that will seat 10 to 15 people administrating the incident. There are enough telephones and computer plugs for everyone, in fact more plugs than people that can fit into the trailer. It is beautiful and will help on our next major event.
Homeland Sercurity has grants to help with disasters and major events. Oklahoma was given such a grant to provide a command/communications mobile unit that can respond anywhere in the state. It is available to any public safety agency by making phone call. Depending where the event is, it usually takes no more than four hours for it to be on site and set up. My area, Edmond, would be much faster because the command post is parked only 6 or 7 miles south of our city. The tractor above has the largest engine a truck can have. When responding to an incident, there is a highway patrol escorte, red lights and siren in front and back. It can move down the road if needed. 
The command/communications trailer itself is a 50 foot trailer with double slides onboth sides. It is equiped with satalite communications, several cameras, big screen televisions, radios, voip telephones and just about everything else an agency might need during an emergency. The only thing needed on a scene of a disaster is the people to man the trailer. There is two seperate rooms. One room is a dispatch area with a place for 6 dispatchers. The other room has a large conference table that will seat 10 to 15 people administrating the incident. There are enough telephones and computer plugs for everyone, in fact more plugs than people that can fit into the trailer. It is beautiful and will help on our next major event.
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