1. Introduction
Mobile Command and Coordination Centers Trucks, or simply Mobile Command Centers, have become a familiar sight at the scenes of various events and have become a central figure in restoring any sort of disaster, whether natural or human-inflicted. The world has entered into a new millennium, which is now termed the world of threats due to cross-border terrorism, suicide bombings, and guerrilla warfare with military armed forces. Anything that effectively coordinates with various agencies in case of such terror strikes or natural calamities can greatly ease the daunting challenge of fighting them. The traditional mobile command center vans, topped by a telescoping mast and outfitted with a long list of comforts once reserved for one’s living room, are losing their charm day by day. With the advent of modern technology, the traditional command trucks are being replaced, and new rolling command posts are on the roll in public security.
Command vehicles have been built for almost every type of emergency agency, and in these applications, they are used for a number of different functions, which include managing traffic while construction work takes place and maintaining communications during various field operations. Mobile command centers, when used during live events, often serve as remote-run television control rooms. Today, the mobile command center has become so important that no major event held in even a small town is considered complete without one. The command vehicle is a compound assembly of multiple subsystems, many of which are high-tech, and that must work together seamlessly across multiple platforms. The mobile command vehicle market, in terms of technological sophistication, fits all larger public safety operational scenarios.
2. History of Mobile Command Centers
Mobile Command and Coordination Centers, commonly known as Mobile Command Centers, have a long history in emergency management. From the first rudimentary communications vehicles, such as the Emergency Tender, which was able to conduct communicative relay operations, to the E-One Hush formerly housed by the Mobile Command Center of the New York Police Department, the basic concept remains unchanged. The Mobile Command Center is a sophisticated and specialized tool. One deployed for use in a disaster or other large-scale event is intended for the primary use of supervising and coordinating the operations of a large number of people who are each performing a wide range of different tasks in multiple locations.
The origins of the vehicle-mounted Mobile Command and Control Center can be found in the areas of military operations during World War II and the organization of first-responder assets that first appeared in operation in civil defense movements of the Cold War. The utilization of fully equipped office vehicles for specific and expanded operations support was seen in American Civil Defense preparations during the 1950s through the 1970s. These vans were not an operational office like the Command Post, nor were they used as organization and control centers such as the Command and Coordination Center. It was in London, Durham, and other United Kingdom fire brigades that ‘Emergency Tending’ and ‘Emergency Communication’ were combined into a nominated and specific Full-Hands Electronic Communications Operational Support.
3. Key Features of Mobile Command Centers Trucks
One of the essential features of the Mobile Command Centers (MCC) is their on-board communications system, which can establish voice and video links with the mobile command center and up to a dozen command posts, support vehicles, and end users. For the MCC, there must be simultaneous connections with the on-board communications console and terminals. The coordination of communication modes must parallel the way in which operations are configured, with the terminated sessions held at a maximum until delivery can be assured. The system operator can manage the user access rights functions and manage radio, intercom, and video configuration from a flash ladder, touch panel, or personal computing device using a mobile user interface. These are some of the critical features of a command center that allow for seamless operations and coordination among the teams.
Furthermore, improved situational awareness and user interfaces are critical for better decision-making processes. The user interface should be designed to allow the user options in both the communication modes of inputs and outputs. The inputs will be defined by the conditions of the available technology standards and include voice, video, and data from a number of different categories: first responders, soldiers, agents, security, and safety personnel, to name a few examples. These people will have different degrees of sophistication when using these capabilities. The operational interfaces should be matched to the practical needs, while crucial information should be processed for use. The variable configurations of the truck’s operational layout for MCCs should be tailored to common operational procedures in as many U.S. operational scenarios as possible. In summary, the common features of the MCCs addressed above are features that are needed for rapid, successful missions by mobile command centers for government agencies. They should allow seamless operations with maximum availability and backup routes for all operations. An MCC must be very flexible, adaptive to the operator’s needs, and easy to expand for the range of operations. It must have the capacity for rapid, sustainable disassembly. A mobile command center is an essential tool for coordinating operations and communications.
3.1. Communication Systems – Mobile Command and Coordination Center Trucks
The communication technology has adapted in recent years according to the change and development of other technological areas. The voice communication mode, used for a long time in command and control centers, is changed by the technological advances in video and information exchange applications. Everywhere, the need for reliable voice, data, and video communication for incident management, disaster recovery, and even for day-to-day operations is well observed. This requirement is at the highest level in the most pressure-filled operational situations, in which information is the key component to making the right decision. Real-time applications could determine the real-time intervention effects, which makes them crucial. Manual as well as automated systems may transmit information to and from mobile command and coordination centers. This very important piece of information, the communication technology, facilitates and improves standard and mobile command processes. The whole operational infrastructure could benefit, increasing response effectiveness, harmonizing process steps, and enhancing situational comprehension.
When the truck is used in a situation where no fixed antennas are already established, and the telecommunication infrastructure needs refreshment, the satellite solution could always be available. While the satellites in geosynchronous orbit are the most used for this type of application, used for their benefit for data communications, low or medium orbit constellations are available for the time being with as few as hundreds of milliseconds for packet sessions. The cellular GSM is the most used terrestrial transmission technology. There are three alternatives: Globalstar, Iridium, both available from low orbit satellites, and are already used today by public safety and military organizations as a faster text or data transmission, or even as a backup voice communication system. The current Iridium constellation consists of operational satellites, of which are in-orbit spares. A full roster of launches is proposed, which would ensure continuity of service. Alternatively, the third GEO system communicates with larger numbers of Earth stations and provides services to fixed and mobile remote locations, and is used mostly for telemetry and signaling. For voice and data communication, a radio could transmit the information using a nearby base station or a farther land-based station. Secure communications are those that include measures to ensure that the channels or the information are accessible only to those properly authorized. Information can effectively be secured using encryption. The encrypted channels work in few conditions because of the equipment used. Sometimes, it is important to have the possibility of coding and decoding radios in many different ways, not just the simple two coded ways for communication. Anyhow, the most secure way for the mobile solution is to use an encrypted satellite channel. The mobile systems normally use portable, swappable, and adaptable communication equipment to meet various radio frequency and telecom operator requirements. The capabilities for voice and data vary from system to system, mainly depending on equipment manufacturers and on money spent. Regardless of the chosen configuration, the mobile command and coordination centers deploy complex, sophisticated communication and video systems, actually establishing the optimal operational environment necessary for the day-to-day mission of the internal staff as well as in critical situations. The communication systems can facilitate cooperation and collaboration among field commanders and multi-player coordination.
3.2. Situational Awareness Technologies – Mobile Command and Coordination Center Trucks
An essential capability enabling mobile command and coordination centers truck operations is situational awareness. Situational awareness is an invaluable tool for improving operators’ understanding and enhancing their ability to make informed decisions in dynamic and time-sensitive operations. Many different situational awareness technologies are available to assist with the collection, processing, and dissemination of situational awareness information, including geographic information systems for creating maps or displaying the location, status, and movement of people, vehicles, aircraft, and resources; real-time tracking of vehicles, aircraft, and personnel; local traffic and weather data; drones supporting GIS and video monitoring; real-time sensor deployment and field of view; and data analytics for predicting future behavior and conducting potential scenario analysis, including real-time deployment of obstacles.
Some of the situational awareness technologies essential for informing operational decisions include geographic information systems or mapping applications. The use of GPS tracking devices ensures that security personnel and other resources are trackable in the vicinity of an event. Additionally, real-time tracking of aerial vehicles by video stream, ground sensors, and environmental sensors about the location in real time provides vital tracking for improving efficiency in times of crisis. The use of data analytics enables the determination of trends in response operations and rapid needs for additional resources. Accurate and timely information filtering helps streamline the command center and assist in the decision-making process. Customized notifications of field personnel are generated and sent via the web-based system. The use of mapping and GIS technology and video technology enables greater efficiency in responding to events in a tactical environment. A greater level of situational awareness provides improved safety and an opportunity to make more educated decisions in rapid timeframes. The use of mapping and GIS technology helps build situational awareness levels and assists with analyzing traffic flow in the evacuation routes during crisis responses. A special video visual analysis tool was needed to assist in developing evacuation routes and real-time decision support. Overall, the use of a variety of technologies supports the level of situational awareness. A more comprehensive situational picture also improves the coordination of tactical and administrative operations. Overall, situational awareness is an important asset for tactical and administrative operations during a crisis.
4. Design Considerations Mobile Command & Coordination Centers Truck
Size and weight of today’s mobile C&C Centers trucks are defined by operational requirements and the need for compatibility with restrictions applied to ordinary road vehicles. However, the weight and size of elements comprising the truck body have to be limited primarily due to other reasons: (1) since the truck is designed for field operation, its weight influences the vehicle performance, mobility, and accessibility; (2) the load carried by the truck has to be limited to ensure operational readiness at any time; (3) the focus on small trucks implies constraints on dimensions, weight, and load-carrying capacity. When compared to large vehicles, small trucks are characterized by better maneuverability and the ability to reach areas not accessible to large vehicles. The load-carrying capacity is typically confined to 3–4 tons, though trucks that are larger are also discussed.
Likewise, the need for multimission operational capability results in the need for additional production and storage spaces, which changes the overall layout of the vehicle. Also, power supply and energy management systems are critical for these kinds of vehicles. These vehicles have to work without interference in many different unpredictable operational environments, where continuous and uninterrupted operation is required. This results in a high demand for power supply during long periods of forced power cut. Electrical power supply in such vehicles is mainly done by a generator power source, but with a redundant system as backup. Renewable and eco-friendly systems such as solar panels to recharge batteries are also installed on the truck. The interior of mobile C&C Centers trucks should be designed for fast and extensive setup and disassembly. The ability to easily deploy a comprehensive Communication Centre with initial configuration allows for many different operational applications.
The interior should be arranged to allow personnel to perform simultaneous and independent tasks. The work environment inside the C&C Center should be designed to be comfortable, safe, and functional. The interior must be designed to facilitate the effective work of operators, which means a desire to have a clean, safe, and organized design. It is imperative that the many instruments available to the operator be readable and understandable in a quick and intuitive manner. Comfort must also include arrangements for interior noise and stabilizing the interior temperature to prevent personnel from becoming fatigued by either unusual temperatures in either direction. For important communications, the truck must include both backup wired systems as well as wireless communication systems. A diversity of instruments and systems are required in the C&C Center, with minimal duplication necessary. The design of a mobile Command and Coordination Center is no longer simple due to increasing requirements. In order to improve the operational efficiency of these units, it is necessary to design an appropriate operating environment according to the mission, taking into account various requirements and restrictions.
4.1. Vehicle Size and Weight – Mobile Command and Coordination Center Trucks
In command center design, the challenge is striking a balance in size. Command truck research has proven that neither extraneous size nor weight most notably compromises operational goals of accommodation of operator personnel and equipment. The critical detail to acknowledge, however, is that in asset conditions in which unencumbered workspace in and around the command truck is an enabling operational requirement, excess size and weight may be the critical tactical limit. When outfitted for operations, command trucks often carry some serious weight. Vehicle dimensions, protection, and mobility are closely related. Vehicle size determines stability and maneuverability. Vehicle weight directly impacts suspension and power. Consequently, every additional pound of vehicle weight has a direct connection to the cost of achieving vehicle mobility. As dimensions increase, larger vehicles have longer wheelbases, lower ground clearances, and zero or short overhangs.
Mission adaptation implies cost consideration, but customizing vehicle length and height should not compromise the vehicle’s performance outcomes. The mobility considerations and restrictions must be supported by adequate vehicle dimensions for effective operation. The most commonly cited vehicle dimension that may involve limitations is its height. Because the size of mission-essential communications and information technology equipment varies widely per agency, ensuring interior space for the effective workspace depends heavily on each unit’s unique technological footprint. Weight may also present mission-incompatible trade-offs. The level of customization during vehicle design is determined by budget, vehicle weight, and vehicle size constraints in situations when mission-specific equipment volume limits the permissible variation in dimensions. Command truck dimensions are regulated by state and federal laws as well as other factors. Civil engineers and emergency preparedness experts currently have a preference for transportation of materials and equipment on the public highways in a configuration that conforms to the North American standard for vehicular size and weight. Different regional and local ordinances can be a problem. Oftentimes, the best places to position MCSs are in densely populated urban localities not well served by interstitial roads of large vehicular size corridors. Designed-in vehicle size also has significant operational implications. Mobile operations are possible with either small or large command trucks if equipment is engineered for operation in that size platform. Small trucks are still welcome at the local operational level, but at the state and national level, big trucks are in. For this reason, the proposed vehicle size for this project is designed to be large enough to easily build large antenna mast extensions and narrow enough to navigate airport corridors and street traffic. The appeal rests in place, pace, and time of positioning, as well as the ability of the emergency manager to be forward-deployed from the get-go to put incident management structure in place using formal interoperability. Because a vehicle must adjust its cell phones to different aligned satellites, it takes approximately eight minutes for a vehicle to hand off to another satellite to ensure a new public safety mission of another 8.2-minute duration.
4.2. Power Supply and Energy Management – Mobile Command and Coordination Center Trucks
Modern MCCCs focus on mobile, flexible, scalable, and energy-efficient systems that support communication, computing, and interaction among many actors for a wide range of applications. The operational use of these systems directly depends on the energy consumption for, e.g., ventilation, cooling, or heating, mast operation, and the use of new communication technologies. For some MCCCs partly using renewable, especially renewable energies, they provide a more reliable and affordable means of energy supply and help reduce operational costs. Furthermore, a backup power solution has to be considered for usage when no other power source is available because the low voltage grid may be unavailable due to technical breakdowns or natural disasters. The design of the energy management system depends on the constellation of available “green” energy sources, sustainable energy storage sizes, and the number of installed energy converters, and also includes energy losses in the MCCCD. The possibility of transforming “green” electrical energy into thermal energy for climate control or water heating is an economical alternative worth considering. Mobile command and coordination centers with built-in battery storage are suitable for asynchronous loads and storage media for electricity generated from photovoltaic systems and also further enable the operation of sensitive electronic components in the event of a power outage. Sustainable energy sources will expand future military capabilities and readiness and must take inherent and field energy efficiencies into consideration. High field energy efficiency reduces fuel consumption and logistics requirements. Ongoing improvements in solar panel energy conversion efficiencies are leading to higher power outputs and new sustainable options for MCCCs. Reducing energy consumption and integrating sustainable energy solutions are necessities the Dutch MoD will standardize to support future operations. Research in fuel cell energy conversion efficiency improvements and efficient hydrogen storage will further reduce energy demands for military operations. These ongoing improvements reduce weight, improve environmental performance, and reduce reliance on established energy supplies, pipelines, and logistic support. Full operational capability mobile command centers rely on reliable power supplies and energy management. All communications, computer, and non-combat systems have differing power requirement profiles. For reduced operational testing, energy management systems should limit unnecessary energy wastage when non-critical systems are not in use, i.e., air conditioners, communications computers, and lights, through system downtime control via microcontrollers to increase energy efficiency operations.
5. Applications of Mobile Command and Coordination Center trucks
Mobile Command and Coordination Centers Trucks are crucial tools in virtually any emergency response operation. When operating in a dynamic and stressful environment, the ability to rapidly mobilize critical personnel alongside the command and control resources is essential. These trucks typically find applications across numerous operational environments and include efforts in natural and man-made disaster areas where command and control resources may require dispatch to ensure the efficient placement of fire and rescue assets. Most efforts relating to disaster response and relief applications include the incorporation of hardware-based radio, satellite, and cellular telephone communication resources and data centers on-site, emphasizing the desirability and need for immediate access to on-site command and control capabilities to manage resources and personnel. Relief services activities varied at different locations, but service-oriented activities were common and included some summary organizing, distribution of supplies, medical services, missing persons management, and transportation logistics. Law enforcement applications are often based on providing trunked or conventional communications in an operations area with normal site trunking over satellite connections, trunked system administration programming, and some software tools. When there is an exceptionally large number of personnel or a large number of different agencies and jurisdictions in attendance at an event, the selection of a mobile communications base is considered to provide an extensive range of communications, dispatching, and surveillance capabilities for large and small locations. As a consequence, other events occur on a national level, such as a summit or the Olympic Games. These mobile command and coordination centers may be used in any day-to-day public safety event or local to national emergency.
5.1. Emergency Response and Disaster Relief – Mobile Command and Coordination Center trucks
In times of disaster and crisis, command posts turn into Multi-Agency Coordination Centers (MACC), and all additional on-site command facilities show a need for coordination. Mobile Command and Coordination Center trucks are the nucleus for this activity. The need for an immediate response in crises like earthquakes, floods, and severe storms is very high – both for accomplishing any available in-situ lifesaving and for ensuring the adequate timely reaction to tackle the dangerous outcomes of the catastrophe. Practical cases can be search and rescue operations taking place after the occurrence of an earthquake. In these cascading externalities, the coordination of all the efforts delivered on the ground proves to be highly beneficial because it also ensures the adoption by all the involved intervention organizations of common conceptual tools as well as increases the level of situational awareness.
An aspect to be considered is the fact that calamities often end up creating dynamic situations with different developments and a high level of uncertainty. Also, the importance of inter-organizational consortiums in the management of crises has been underlined since the early stages of the emergency, as well as the increased operability and performance delivered by using several agencies from law enforcement, medical, fire rescue, military, and local law enforcement backgrounds. MC&C trucks are thus recommended over other solutions whenever turmoil occurs. Finally, a significant challenge is: how is it possible to minimize the depth of the collaborative phase, quickly establish a capacity to work together productively, and perform tasks in a crisis environment across multiple agencies? It is particularly stated that crisis-performance processes need to be put in place, and conduits between agencies require staffing, training, operationalizing, and testing. Given that, the quicker these functions and structures are in place in disaster circumstances, the better the chances for an organized, unproblematic operation.
5.2. Law Enforcement Operations – Mobile Command and Coordination Center trucks
Mobile Command and Coordination Center trucks are essential in law enforcement operations to manage significant events, including uncertainty and the need to coordinate among multiple agencies with respect to agencies and resources. The planned events include protests, public demonstrations or assemblies on city streets, parks, or on city, county, or state-owned land; parades; marches; and other such events open to the public. MC3s are used to catalog, record, and plan operations. MC3s provide situational awareness as they enable commanders to visualize their personnel on the ground and allocate resources as needed in real time. When strategic operations occur at two or more locations within a region, MC3s can command or coordinate from the middle to ensure both or all strategies are successful and orderly.
Studies that can be used for the strategic positioning of MC3s are scant; however, police use of MC3s in some well-documented high-profile or catastrophic events includes significant incidents. Regardless, MC3s are adjacent to state officers to ensure they know their rights. Meanwhile, the state has deployed details and is prepared for any counter response should one occur. From recent history, the strategic positioning of MC3s can be gathered from available documents. Missing from these documents is the perspective of an officer who worked on that event from start to finish, albeit as a different officer in a different city. The following case studies will discuss the deployments of MC3 units among law enforcement officials. The use of technology strengthens the building of a “unified force”; however, the placement of stages can provide normal resources to show presence while focusing on hot spots to ensure lawful activity is occurring. By combining the dictated use of technologies and operations, our aim is to make the MC3 the valued resource discussing the need to reduce crime and restore order. By the end of the case studies, it is possible to draw the many varied ways in which MC3s are employed; however, the common theme is the increase in public safety.
