Hudson County, N.J., will use a new $725,000 Emergency Management Communications and Command Vehicle equipped with electronic equipment to coordinate municipal and state agencies during disasters and emergencies, the Jersey Journal reports.
The 40-foot vehicle, which was paid for by state and federal grants, contains 17 public safety radio transceivers, as well as ham, marine and air-band radios. In addition, the vehicle has cellular, landline and Internet telephone capabilities. There are five communications consoles in the vehicle that can control all radio and telephone functions.
The vehicle, which is the first of its kind in New Jersey, also is equipped with satellite network and broadband capabilities, a computer server networked with eight laptops and a 30-foot telescoping mast mounted with a camera, six monitors and several audio-video recording devices, the Journal reports.
"By allowing us to quickly establish a unified command system, this new vehicle will allow our first responders to make faster real-time decisions - and that will save lives," said Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise (Conte, Jersey Journal, 5/30).