By Travis Crum
Charleston Gazette
CHARLESTON, W.V. — West Virginia State Police said they will manage special events better or respond more quickly to disasters with the help of a new vehicle.
State troopers unveiled the 45-foot-long Mobile Command Center in South Charleston on Friday. The mobile center features satellite phone technology, weather radar systems, computers and a planning room.
State Police Maj. G.R. Tincher said the agency realized they needed a way to organize state troopers at locations where cellphone service is limited after last year’s Upper Big Branch Mine disaster in Raleigh County.
During that time, it was difficult for police to organize troopers because there was no cell service, he said.
“We knew we needed something like this and we couldn’t wait much longer,” Tincher said. “When we get into the southern coalfields, places like Mingo and Logan counties, the cell service is spotty at best.”
The command center will travel anywhere it’s needed around the state, he said.
The official rollout of the center will take place Oct. 15 at the Bridge Day events at the New River Gorge, he said.
Only four troopers, including Tincher, are trained to drive the vehicle. The large vehicle has side cameras that will help the driver back into and out of tight spaces. It gets about 5 or 6 miles to the gallon and runs on diesel fuel.
State Police Sgt. Michael Baylous said the agency is trying to find a place to store the vehicle, but it will be based in Charleston.
“This is totally new for us. We knew we needed the capability to respond to disasters and get across areas where there is rugged terrain,” he said.
Baylous said funding for the center came from money in the state’s budget, but he wouldn’t say how much it cost.
“It’s an expensive vehicle, I’ll say that,” Tincher said.
Matthew’s Specialty Vehicles, of Greensboro, N.C., spent about six months building the center from the frame up, said Greg Leimone, business development manager for the company.
The center came as a frame with an axle and tires, he said. The company added everything else at the State Police’s request, he said.
The company has made 60 to 100 mobile command centers for law enforcement agencies around the country, Leimone said.
The vehicles are designed to withstand any type of impact, he said, and the State Police’s mobile command center underwent about 54,000 pounds of pressure testing.
“Heaven forbid, [if] it would ever crash, there is rollover protection for any occupants,” Leimone said. “It reflects the durability and reliability of construction. There’s a 42-foot mast on there, you got to make sure you got some very good structure to support that.”
Tincher said the agency hopes to purchase one more mobile center to be stationed in the northern part of the state.
Copyright 2011 Charleston Newspapers