By Alan M. Petrillo

Frontline Communications, a division of Pierce Manufacturing Inc. and a subsidiary of Oshkosh Corp., has vast experience in building custom vehicles for its customers, but when Gulf Coast State (FL) College came to it with a problem to be solved, it was what a Frontline regional vice president calls “a whole lot more custom.”

Andy Callaway, Southern U.S. regional vice president of Frontline, says Gulf Coast State College came to Frontline with a big problem to be solved. “Trying to operate in a post-disaster environment like a hurricane meant they had great difficulty in getting large amounts of data from point A to point B, like to an Emergency Operations Center (EOC),” Callaway points out.

Melanie Boyd, chair of Gulf Coast State’s business and technical division, says after Category 5 hurricane Michael came through the area in 2018, resulting in extensive damage and communications challenges, the college determined to be prepared for the next big weather event to hit the area. “Through a Triumph Grant, we purchased one C-33 Mobile Command Center and two C-25 Mobile Command Vehicles, with some of the most advance features we’ve built into specialty vehicles to date,” she says.

Boyd notes that the Gulf Coast State’s Tempest program has two electro-mechanical technician/BLOS pilot/radar operators, Fred Stevenson and Kevin Ward. Stevenson is a retired U.S. Air Force veteran; Ward, a U.S. Navy vet.  Boyd says, ” They also are graduates of the Unmanned Vehicle Systems associate’s degree program at Gulf Coast State College.

Rob McAtee, sales representative for Ten-8 Fire & Safety, who sold the vehicles to Gulf Coast State College, says the C-34 Mobile Command Unit is on an Acela 6×6 chassis with a 113-gallon extended range fuel tank, custom entry steps to the rear, a perimeter camera system, a roof mounted hoist system for mast top antennas, a 42-inch Will-Burt mast, and a 20-foot electric awning. The rig also has Whelen LED emergency lighting, a 43-inch exterior monitor with a fold-down work station, custom aluminum storage cabinets, and a galley with a refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker.

Boyd points out that the units carry unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), as well as a terrestrial Guardian S robot that is able to enter buildings and capture video for incident commanders. “We also have an EMILY robotic vehicle for water rescue,” she says, “and are able to respond to any of the eight neighboring counties, and other areas of Florida through mutual aid.”

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