123 lines
6.1 KiB
Plaintext
123 lines
6.1 KiB
Plaintext
January 1991
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POLICE PRACTICES
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MOBILE COMMAND POSTS
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As service providers, law enforcement agencies respond to a
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broad range of emergency situations--from street crimes to
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sexual assaults, from traffic accidents to domestic disturbances.
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As a rule, most emergencies are handled by one or more responding
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units, generally in their own patrol districts.
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However, what happens when a law enforcement agency must
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respond to a major disaster, such as a plane crash or a building
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collapse, that requires hundreds of workers to handle both rescue
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efforts and crowd and traffic control? Unless the department
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serves a major metropolitan area where officials can muster
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multiple agencies in a short period of time, the result is
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usually an uncontrolled, disorganized response. One way for
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smaller departments to avert this type of response is to modify a
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van into a mobile command post that can be used to organize under
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one command during full-scale incidents.
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A case in point is when the Cocoa Beach, Florida, Fire
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Department responded to the collapse of a condominium that was
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under construction. Eleven people were killed and 23 persons
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were injured. The rescue operation, which lasted over 60 hours,
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required approximately 400 rescue workers and the assistance of
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50 private, volunteer, and government agencies. Based on the
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information gathered from this incident, the Cocoa Beach Fire
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Department set out to equip such a mobile command post to use at
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the scene of major operations. Since budget constraints
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prohibited the purchase of two vehicles, one for police use and
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one for fire use, the agencies worked together to modify the van
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to meet the needs of both departments.
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THE VEHICLE
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The departments purchased a van with a 6-cylinder engine,
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automatic transmission, heavy-duty suspension system,
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posi-traction rear end, and heavy-duty cooling and electrical
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systems. Adding heavy-duty air shocks was the only necessary
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modification. These were added to accommodate the additional
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weight caused by the command console and the large amount of
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equipment that is stored in the vehicle.
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COMMAND CONSOLE
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The command console consists of a slide-out work desk, file
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drawers, storage spaces, communications station, and an
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equipment and manpower status board. A small generator plugs
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into the console, making it self-contained, and if necessary,
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the console can be removed from the vehicle.
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COMMUNICATIONS
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In addition to three law enforcement radio frequencies, the
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16-channel mobile radio communications unit includes the radio
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frequencies of local fire and emergency medical services. There
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is also a portable weather monitor, a Coast Guard marine radio,
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an 80-channel programmable scanner and a citizens band radio.
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The citizens band radio also serves as a base unit for a field
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communications system to allow for uninterrupted communications
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among management team members. Twenty walkie-talkies, each with
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three frequencies and a range of 1 mile, allow the incident
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commander to communicate with officers in the field when
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necessary.
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Telephone communications include a portable cellular
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telephone that is connected to the vehicle's main electrical
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system. This cellular phone is backed up by two high-capacity
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portable batteries and a built-in charging unit. Two additional
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telephones with 1000 feet of hard line and two, 250-foot
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portable lines allow for communications to be set up from a
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structure nearest to the scene.
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MANAGEMENT TEAM DOSSIERS AND RESOURCE FILES
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Large vinyl folders contain all of the information,
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materials, and supplies necessary for specific personnel
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assignments, such as public information officer, law enforcement
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liaison, medical officer, and communications officer.
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The folders hold water-resistant fluorescent vests that
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identify each position, flashlights, pens, paper, and a
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laminated primary assignment sheet that outlines specific duties
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of each assignment.
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The resource files, which are updated yearly, provide a
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listing of manpower, equipment, and services available from
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adjoining counties. Also included are full-scale aerial
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photographs of the entire city and corresponding sketch maps of
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each photograph from which to work.
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MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT
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In addition to fire and disaster-related equipment, the van
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stores a victim identification kit, a radiological monitoring
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kit, electronic listening devices, and photographic and video
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equipment. It also holds emergency medical first-responder
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equipment, such as a trauma box, splints, and an oxygen supply.
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For use by the police department, the van stows
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identification vests, police department grid books, maps,
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procedures manuals, and police department magnetic signs that
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fit over fire department insignias. A green strobe light and
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additional command post signs are also available to law
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enforcement personnel.
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CONCLUSION
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The mobile command post vehicle is an excellent example of
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how emergency services can work together to meet a common goal.
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Should there be another disaster, the City of Cocoa Beach now has
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the capacity to respond in an efficient, organized manner.
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_________________
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Information for this column was submitted by Police Chief
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Frank T. Hutson and Fire Chief Robert B. Walker, City of Cocoa
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Beach, Florida.
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