Cole County's Mobile Emergency Operations Center comes to Osage County.

Osage County's Emergency Management Agency welcomed its counterpart from Cole County for a week-long stay at the Osage Ambulance in Linn, the latter bringing with it a state-of-the-art Mobile Emergency Operations Center (MEOC), which is available for use all over the state in the event of a natural disaster or emergency.

Rich Beckwith, a communications officer with the Cole County Emergency Response Team, said tests for the vehicle were completed last week and the time has been spent training.“Hopefully by the end of our time here, emergency personnel in Osage County will be comfortable with the mobile unit,” said Beckwith, who added the goal would be to have the truck set up quickly and be manned by local personnel who know the area best. “We're operating 911 from the truck right now, and that would be an option in the event of a disaster.”Should the courthouse or administration building be cut off, the mobile unit could be brought in to handle emergency calls and coordination.

The back-up 911 center at the OAD base is another option.The mobile unit features three consoles for operators, a conference area, and all the best technology so that crews can keep up with the world.“We have a satellite feed, radio, internet, you name it,” said Beckwith. “Our goal is to be ready to move into an area that needs a centralized command station, and that can handle a variety of problems.”One difficulty with that, however, is that a vehicle striving to be a one-size-fits-all proposition is invariably weaker than a dedicated service.“It's like a Swiss Army knife,” Beckwith noted. “Sure, there's a pair of scissors in there but you wouldn't use it to make a suit. The

Highway Patrol and Public Safety have their own trucks, but they're designed specifically for each agency. This truck is more generic to cover a wide range of situations, and we hope it does well in all of them.”Osage County EMA Director Andi Rice said the switchover to the mobile unit was very quick, within a few minutes.“That's because all the frequencies we use were pre-loaded into the system,” she explained. “In the event of an actual disaster, we would need that to be as quick as possible.”All the numbers, both emergency and administrative lines, were re-routed by the phone company to the command unit.

A LOOK AT THE MEOC
The Cole County Emergency Response Team is the custodian of the Type II Mobile EOC defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Here's a look at the unit.

• The MEOC is a 40-foot long, 38,000-pound, self-propelled vehicle. The MEOC, when deployed, has one slide-out on each side of the vehicle. The travel height of the vehicle is 14 feet, and must be deployed on a level site capable of supporting this weight in all weather conditions. The site must provide sufficient space to establish an isolation/access perimeter around the vehicle.*
• Crew: The MEOC is deployed with a nominal crew of four personnel who are trained in the setup, deployment and maintenance of the MEOC. A larger or smaller crew may be deployed on non-emergency deployments.
• Radio Systems: The MEOC contains five high-band VHF radios, one UHF radio, one Low-Band VHF radio, one 700/800 MHz conventional/trunking radio (SmartZone compatible), and one 900 MHz LTR trunking radio. All of these radio units are integrated to the dispatching system.
• Radio Dispatching System: The MEOC is equipped with a Telex-Vega interoperability and dispatching system. Three fixed dispatch positions are in the forward portion of the body. Three additional dispatch positions are available on deployable laptops. The MEOC is also equipped with an ACU-1000 with two channels connected to the dispatch console system.
• Antenna Support Mast: The MEOC is equipped with a 56-foot telescoping mast capable of supporting up to four antennas deployed on the mast. The mast is equipped with a high resolution camera system that can be controlled from inside the MEOC.
• High speed internet: The MEOC is equipped with a 1.2-meter satellite dish that provides high-speed Internet access.
• Telephone system: The MEOC is equipped with a telephone system including 16 telephone sets.
• Video & Voice recording system: The MEOC is equipped to record up to 32 channels of video, and all radio and telephone conversations. Archives of video and audio recorded at an event are available for evidence purposes.
• Computing Assets: The MEOC is equipped with ten general purpose laptops loaded with Windows Operating Systems and Microsoft Office software. A centralized PC server provides domain services and file sharing access. User accounts are role-based and have an associated email address pre-configured.

The MEOC was dedicated and brought into service Aug. 9, 2007.

The Cole County Emergency Response Team was one of 70 Missouri jurisdictions in the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program to receive Interoperable Communications Grants (LETPP/ICGP) totaling $2.9 million. Funding came in large part from the federal Homeland Security Department.

Agencies in Region F (central Missouri) to receive grant funding were the Ashland Police Department, Moniteau County Sheriff Department, Jefferson City Police Department, Montgomery City Police Department, New Franklin Police Department, City of Lincoln Police Department, Hallsville Police Department, Jamestown Police Department, Cole County Sheriff Department and Iberia Police Department.