KELSEYVILLE — According to a California Highway Patrol press release, the CHP has acquired new equipment to improve its ability to effectively respond to disasters and criminal activity in the state.
The equipment includes a fleet of high-tech mobile command vehicles, two additional aircraft and two boats. The vehicles were purchased with a $6.4 million Homeland Security grant awarded by the Governor”s Office of Homeland Security.
Nine new enhanced on-scene Mobile Command Post Vehicles (MCPV) will be used to provide quick, mobile responses to disaster scenes.
The vehicles will include sophisticated satellite communications equipment to coordinate rapid response efforts. One vehicle will be assigned to each of the CHP”s eight field divisions plus CHP headquarters.
The MCPVs will allow incident commanders to talk directly to various agencies involved in a disaster response. Direct communication between agencies on various radio frequencies will facilitate quicker response, recovery and mitigation of incidents.
“This will allow us to respond to any emergency statewide more efficiently and with better communication,” said Clear Lake Area CHP Officer Josh Dye.
In addition to increased communication abilities, the MCPVs have the ability to downlink live or recorded video via microwave from CHP airplanes flying over disaster scenes, providing commanders a first-hand view of events. This will greatly assist in the deployment of resources. The vehicles also allow incident commanders to communicate even if all telephone equipment in an area is out of service.
Contact Rene Morales at rmorales@record-bee.com.
