News

Mobile command center to assist in emergencies

  • Published
  • By Wayne Crenshaw
  • 78 ABW/PA
Emergency management capabilities at Robins will soon take a giant leap forward.

In addition to a new command center which is set to open in April, Robins will receive a portable version with essentially the same capabilities.

A 39-foot Mobile Emergency Operations Center is being custom-built for the base and is expected to arrive here by the end of the year, said Master Sgt. Bobbie Dobberstein, contracting superintendent in the Operational Contracting Division, the unit which worked to secure the purchase of the vehicle earlier this year.

Constructed by Farber Specialty Vehicles in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, the vehicle looks similar to an RV but has a vast amount of technological resources to assist leaders during an emergency.

It has its own power supply and is designed to be self-sustaining for up to four days. It also has six work stations with computers and internet links, along with cellular and radio communications.

The MEOC will be used for management of a major accident or other emergency requiring on-site command, said Robert Clay, chief of the Logistics Section of Emergency Management in the 78th Civil Engineer Group.

The base currently has a trailer for that purpose, but the new vehicle will give Robins more modern mobile emergency management capabilities, he said.