Clallam County officials are discussing acquiring a “command vehicle” that would give state, county, city and tribal law enforcement officers mobile communications capabilities in emergency situations.
Law enforcement agencies in the county have received a $90,000 terrorism-prevention grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, about $80,000 of which could be used to buy a 30-foot recreational vehicle converted to an emergency operations center on wheels.
“Our folks need to determine that this is what they recommend,” Joe Ciarlo, county emergency coordinator said Monday.
Besides having a communications “suite,” the command vehicle would also have a meeting room “to assess a situation,” Ciarlo said.
Set up for long duration
“It’s an emergency operations center that is mobile and could get up to a site for long durations,” he said.
Law officers now work out of their squad cars, which in inclement weather makes for a less desirable situation, said Ciarlo.
The converted RV would be a “pooled” resource with each law agency contributing to its use.
Ciarlo and County Administrator Dan Engelbertson told county commissioners on Monday that the vehicle would require a policy that would determine who pays for insurance, maintenance and licensing.
“We are still looking at what type of vehicle we want,” Ciarlo said.
