As many of the existing mobile command center trailers deployed around the country get older, they require a physical upgrade and technology refresh to keep them operational and to provide their users a more modern work environment. That is really not any different than a remodel of an older home where that shag carpet and orange colored drapes are just not quite as impressive as they use to be. CCS was fortunate enough to be selected by the Dallas Federal Bureau of Investigation to do a complete makeover on one of their bus style Mobile Command Centers. This particular unit was not used as a Mobile Command Center in its original format but was used as mobile “living quarters’ for the FBI agents assigned to it. It had a bedroom, kitchen, shower, and small work area. The FBI’s intent was to convert it over to a more traditional Mobile Command Center with multiple workstations and a conference room.
At our CCS facility in Terrell, Texas, CCS workers basically gutted the trailer interior removing all the existing flooring, wall material, electrical wiring, old 110 volt light, shower, toilet, bedroom, rear slide out mechanism, etc… – basically a total “gutting” of the command center. A good portion of the renovation was reworking the electrical wiring and installing new breaker boxes for both the 110-volt and 12-volt power needs. The rear of the command center was converted into a conference room with a custom granite conference table large enough for 8 people, 4 LED HD TVs mounted on the 2 side walls, 2 4 foot by 6-foot whiteboards, a sliding pocket door to separate the room from the rest of the command center, new LED lighting, and a prewire for a new interactive touchscreen. The old kitchen and bathroom were converted into a simple kitchenette with a sink, microwave, coffee pot, and storage cabinets for food and plastic ware.
The front of the unit was set up with eight total workstations (4 per side) that provide the space, power, and network connectivity for these Agents to communicate while in the field. Overhead custom metal cabinets were installed above the workstations to provide storage space. A new IT Rack and Cabinet were installed to provide rack mount space for required communication equipment.
A new AVL VSAT satellite from IP Access and a Direct TV HD dual tuner auto-acquire satellite were installed to provide internet access and HD channel viewing. Eight NMO whip antenna mounts were installed on the roof the command center to allow mobile radios to be connected and installed in the equipment rack. The FBI Team was referred to us by the local FEMA office because we had completed a very similar project for them last year.
CCS was also pleased to do our first project for DFW Communications providing them a Mobile Emergency Response Center (MERC) equipped with an LRAD speaker system (Long Range Acoustical Device). This unit is powered by two 125 watt solar panels and a 6 battery battery-bank and provides real-time weather updates and public announcements across a set of high-intensity long range speakers. This MERC unit will be used as a demonstration unit by DFW to assist them in First Responder Tradeshows and customer demos. We hope to provide them many more of these units in the coming months.
CCS is pleased to announce that we have been selected to provide multiple Mobile Emergency Response Centers (MERCs) to the State of Kentucky, the Texas National Guard, the Canadian Government, and Verizon Wireless. Much more on these projects in future updates. As always, feel free to call me directly with any questions.
Gary Collins
CEO
gwcollins@ccscontact.net
Phone: 972-772-2721