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Mobile command center on city agenda
EL PASO, Jan 16, 2010 (El Paso Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
A state-of-the-art mobile command center could help the region's emergency crews as they respond to large-scale emergencies such as the 2006 floods that devastated parts of the city.
The city Fire Department is asking the City Council to approve the purchase of the $900,000 grant-funded vehicle so it can better respond to incidents such as multi-story structure fires or large-scale shootings, said Ralph Johnson, a deputy city fire chief and emergency management coordinator for both the city and county.
"This is something the city of El Paso has needed for as long as I can remember, and I've been with the city's Fire Department for 24 years," he said.
The command center would be 35 feet long and mounted on a Peterbilt chassis. It would be available for use by various agencies.
The center would help improve communication and coordination among multiple agencies responding to a large emergency, Johnson said.
The City Council will review and consider the purchase during its regular meeting Tuesday. It would be paid entirely by a grant from the U.S. Homeland Security Department; no local tax dollars are needed.
The city's Police Department now has a converted recreation vehicle it uses as a command post. The Fire Department once used a converted Sun Metro bus for such a post, but it stopped using that about seven years ago.
"This will be like nothing we have," Johnson said.
The mobile command center would include a generator to power the vehicle and
make it self-sufficient, as well as satellite communication systems. It would also have exterior cameras to provide a 360-degree look at the incident site, and 11 workstations with access to computers, radios and telephones, he said.
"That means we can have 11 different agencies all working together without a hitch," Johnson said.
The command post could be used by the city's police and fire departments as well as by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. Agreements are also being worked out with smaller municipalities, such as Socorro, Johnson said.
"It will help to improve the command and control of any incident that's large enough to involve more than one agency," he said.
Sometimes, large emergencies can involve working with El Paso Water Utilities and nonprofit agencies such as the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, he said.
"It's not just law enforcement or fire that responds," he said.
If approved, the command post will be purchased from Comtex Communications of DeSoto, Texas.
David Burge may be reached at dburge@elpasotimes.com; 546-6126.
Make plans
--The City Council will meet at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday on the second floor of City Hall, 2 Civic Center Plaza.
--The meeting will begin with an executive session; the public part will begin around 9 a.m.
--Information: www.elpasotexas.gov.
To see more of the El Paso Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
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