MC-1 pictured, Solano County "Wild Land" fire 2008

SOLANO COUNTY MOBILE COMMAND 1 (MC-1)

The staff at the Office of Emergency Services was tasked to design and develop specifications for a mobile command/communications vehicle that would be able to assist all jurisdictions. Farber Specialty Vehicle in Columbus, Ohio manufactured the vehicle. The Office of Emergency Services purchased the vehicle for $442,464 and was funded from a Homeland Security Grant in 2003/2004. The purpose of this grant was to provide special types of equipment and vehicles to enhance Homeland Security and emergency response capabilities for Law Enforcement, Fire, Emergency Services and other agencies. A few of the amenities of this custom manufactured coach are as follows; 2004 Freightliner XC Rear Engine Chassis, Caterpillar 3226, 330 H.P Engine, On board Columbia weather station, Smart Technology whiteboard networked to all computers and printers, 3 Dell PC’s, Multi Function printer/scanner/fax, LCD flat panel TV/monitors, Kohler 20KW diesel generator, Satellite internet access via SquireTech satellite dish, 25’ Pneumatic mast with Ikegami color video camera 40x zoom, satellite phone, cell phone lines and over 2 ½ miles of wiring, 3 mounted air conditioners, microwave, refrigerator and a coffee pot in the galley. Command Vehicles have become an integral part of responding to emergency incidents. Mobile command vehicle use includes an unlimited number of situations where a complex operational response to an emergency or crisis situation is necessary. Some of the uses include barricaded suspects, processing major crime scenes, natural disasters, major transportation accidents such as plane crashes or train derailments, civil disorder, lost persons and special events management. They are used for various functions ranging from providing the incident command team an adequate place to work, an assembly point (staging) for incoming resources, to a place for the press to be given current information. The Solano County Sheriff/OES has operated a mobile command vehicle for several years, supporting many different agencies and incidents including the wild land fires, structure fires, search & rescue missions, law enforcement incidents as well as communications support for events such as the Solano County Fair and Dixon May Fair. This command vehicle will be particularly effective in isolated areas where there may be limited or no accessibility to technical resources necessary for effective on-scene management of an incident or event. This vehicle is available to all Emergency Response Agencies in an effort to provide more efficient Command and Control in the field. This unit is dedicated to all those Past and Present who provide Law Enforcement, Fire and other Emergency Services to the citizens of Solano County.