State agency prepares for communication even in disaster
By BARRY HALVORSON news@leader-news.com

L-N Photo by Barry Halvorson Ready To Roll Prepared to service a nine-county region, this emergency response vehicle can handle communication during times when power is out. The unit is designed to work with other emergency management efforts and is furished by the Southeast Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.

Staying in touch with the community so they can respond in a moment's notice under normal circumstances is an important part of the job for emergency service providers.

In the event of a disaster, it is even more vital just at the time when electric service or communications facilities might be out of operation. But a new regional communications vehicle (RCV-Q) is available for just such an emergency.

The vehicle is designed specifically to coordinate EMS service and was inspected last Friday by area emergency providers, including police, sheriff's office, fire departments and EMS along with elected officials.

Featuring state-of-the-art technology, the vehicle is being provided by the Southeast Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council for service in Regional Advisory Council Q, which serves a nine-county region that includes Wharton, Waller, Austin, Fort Bend, Colorado, Matagorda, Walker, Montgomery, and Harris Counties. It will be housed in Fort Bend County.

RAC-Q is one of 22 such trauma service designation areas in the state and one of only two, along with the San Antonio area, which is equipped with one of these specialized vehicles.

"This vehicle will serve as the forward arm to coordinate the emergency transportation efforts of ambulances, helicopters and military aircraft," said Frank Marshall, Assistant EMS Director- Communications officer for the Montgomery County Hospital District EMS.

Marshall has been with the communications vehicle project since its inception.

"It was built with Homeland Security funds through the Regional Hospital Preparedness Council," Marshall said. "It will allow us to coordinate the evacuation of patients. We can immediately access where beds are available for certain kinds of injuries within the region and even extending to the rest of the state or even the rest of the country if necessary."

The concept for the vehicle was brought to the attention of Texas officials as they were responding to Hurricane Rita.

"Actually, it was a stroke of luck for us," he said. "There was a similar truck from Kentucky and that state sent a number of ambulances to Louisiana in response to Katrina. When Rita hit, we had ambulance staging areas at Ford Park and the Reliant Center (in Houston), but we didn't have a way to coordinate efforts. The truck from Kentucky was still around and it was loaned to us so we actually got to see it in operation."

The outside appearance is a cross between a recreational vehicle and a satellite television van. Inside, most of the wall space is covered in various flat screen monitors tied into a wide variety of information sources ranging from satellite mapping services to local television stations. It also has its own on-board generator to guarantee a power source.

"When filled, the generator can last for three days," Marshall said. "But we can bring extra fuel if necessary and we try to tie into the local power grid as soon as it becomes available.

"It's all very self sufficient. We also have the satellite antennae so we can connect with satellite Internet and have access to phone service, radio bands and television signals. The Internet is a must for us because so much of what we work with are Web-based applications."

While inspired by the response to a hurricane, Marshall said it can be used for more limited but just as devastating incidents both natural, tornadoes and floods, or man-made, such as industrial explosions.

"Any kind of event where you lose the communications infrastructure for EMS this vehicle can be used," he said. "It can be brought in, set up and because of how it is laid out can use local personnel to operate the communications."

Marshall said being able to obtain such a mobile control facility is a significant achievement for EMS in the state.

"Compared to law enforcement and fire, EMS is still a relatively young career path," he said. "So we still don't receive the kind of funding and attention as the other emergency providers. There was a TV show in the 70s, 'Emergency' that was the first to concentrate on EMS service and actually was propaganda for initiating EMS training programs across the country."