Courtesy photo.
COCONINO COUNTY — Coconino County Emergency Management (CCEM) is pleased to announce the debut of the County’s new mobile incident command unit designed to enhance disaster response, emergency coordination, and reliable communications in remote areas.
This mobile command center will serve as a self-sufficient operational hub, providing the first responders from multiple agencies within the County with real-time situational awareness and improved decision-making capabilities.
Coconino County is the second largest county in the Continental United States, with municipalities, communities, and recreation areas spread out over 18,000 square miles of rugged, natural terrain, which brings unique challenges to communications and incident management.
“This new mobile incident command unit significantly improves our ability to coordinate emergency response, support our public safety partners during large-scale events, and maintain uninterrupted communications in difficult-to-reach locations,” said CCEM Acting Director Tim Carter.
The command unit will provide CCEM with the following benefits:
- Rapid deployment for on-scene coordination.
- Reliable communication through bonded networks and satellite connectivity.
- Public safety radios for integrated communications for all regional first responders.
- Extended network range for remote operations.
- Real-time situational awareness with integrated mapping and data access.
- Secure, climate-controlled workspace for 24/7 emergency operations.
- Independent suspension for mobility in challenging terrain.
The command unit will also feature state-of-the-art communications technology from partners at Starlink and Hypha. Starlink satellite internet provides high-speed broadband access, eliminating dead zones and enabling real-time data sharing, live video feeds, and cloud-based emergency coordination. Coconino County has already seen success with a test program that mounted Starlink units on school buses travelling long distances on rural school bus routes.
Additionally, Hypha networking technology bonds multiple networks together, expanding coverage and enhancing stability to ensure continuous communication, even in remote or disaster-affected areas.
“This mobile command unit will allow us to better achieve our goals of making Coconino County a safer place to live, work, and play,” added Carter.
The project was funded through a Congressionally Designated Spending award, with the support and advocacy of Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, to strengthen public safety and disaster response efforts across the region.
The mobile command unit was designed and built by JHB Group Inc., a team of safety professionals with decades of experience specializing in creating public safety solutions for public safety operations, education, training, and community outreach.