[KYHAM] KEN Training March 18: Mobile Command Post: Design Issues Part 2

[Ron Dodson]

Following The initial KEN Training on MCP Design
Issues, I received the following from David Glass,
WA4QAL.  David has been active with the
Scott County ARES group and has seen the developmental
stages that Mobile Command Post evolution has taken in
Georgetown/Scott County EM over the years and offers
the following commentary which I found very well done
and quite a nice addition to the work earlier in Part 1
from Tony Whobrey, KC4JTV.

Thanks to David, WA4QAL for putting in his observations
here.

==========================================================
Mobile Command Post: Design Issues Part 2
By David Glass, WA4QAL

Regarding choice of platform - trailer vs self
propelled...

There are few things more embarrassing than going to
get a self propelled CP, and finding that it won't
start.
Typically, these vehicles are left sitting for
considerable amounts of time, and batteries have a
tendency to go
flat, fuel tends to jell, tires tend to go flat, and
various other problems occur.  While some of these
things can
also happen to trailer based units, they're usually a
lot
easier to spot and fix quickly, rather than finding
that when
you jump in and turn the key, nothing happens.

Also, don't forget the insurance requirements and
expenses along with the licensing requirements and
expenses for
self propelled CPs.

One of the often overlooked problems is finding a place
to store the CP.  A school bus based CP offers plenty
of
interior room for the operators, but it can take up all
of someone's driveway for storage.  The storage problem
is often a trade off between security and
accessibility. 
A CP that is locked in someone's garage while they're
gone
to Florida for the winter doesn't provide much service. 
On the other hand, a CP that's parked in front of
someone's
house with the keys in it probably won't be there very
long. 
So, a balance is needed between the ability to park the
vehicle in a secure location, yet allow authorized
personnel
access to it if the primary person isn't available.

One of the cost issues that factor into the design of a
vehicle is whether it is being designed and custom
built by a company, or whether it is being retrofitted
by the
users. The first CP that the Georgetown/Scott County
DES had
was a converted bookmobile that the library had
surplussed
because of its age and maintainability.  It was a
simple matter
to rip the book shelves out of the back of it and
install
a bench with radios bolted to it.  A second battery was
easy to install and provided additional power to
operate the
radios.  The total cost for the entire vehicle,
including radios and other equipment was under $3,000!

When the agency outgrew the bookmobile CP, it was
decided to purchase a newer and larger vehicle. 
Specifications
were drawn up and requests for quotations were sent
out, and
the responses all came back in the mid six figure
range!
Several companies which build recreational vehicles
were interested in doing the job, but because it was a
specially constructed vehicle, it couldn't be done on
the regular
production line.  And, specially produced vehicles are
much more expensive than production vehicles.  Plus,
there
are various federal regulations that vehicles have to
meet,
which drive the cost up dramatically for custom
vehicles (e.g., Think about things like crash tests.). 
Thus,
the decision was made that instead of purchasing a
custom
designed CP, that instead a regular production
recreational vehicle would be purchased, and portions
of the
interior would be removed and replaced with the radio
equipment.
As a result of this, the price for the vehicle was
approximately an order of magnitude less.

[1] The manufacturer that the vehicle was purchased
from did agree to leave the bed out of the back as a
concession
to what the group wanted.

The point that I'm making is that it may be more cost
effective to purchase a standard production vehicle and
modify it for use as a command post rather than having
a manufacturer custom manufacture one, even if the
group's funding allows the purchase of a new vehicle. 
Of
course, most groups will be restricted to acquiring
used
vehicles and modifying them to suit their purposes.

On the Amenities...

Tony, in Part 1 Commented, "...the frequently
overlooked disadvantage is that such facilities too
often serve as a beacon to invite others to loiter
around your  vehicle, causing your operation to
eventually resemble
a break  room or lounge."
 
One of the other problems with incorporating rest room
and kitchen facilities is that they require extra
maintenance. Few people like scrubbing toilets,
emptying sewage
tanks, or even cleaning out the refrigerator.  But,
unless these
activities are regularly done, you end up with
bathrooms that are too smelly to use, sewage tanks that
are
overflowing, and refrigerators full of fuzzy green
things running
around that no one can identify, even if they could
catch
them. Plus, the sewage tank must be winterized, and any
fresh
water tanks must be kept full of fresh water and not
allowed to freeze.  Thus, it may be better to stash an
empty
cooler and water jug in the CP that can be filled with
ice and
snacks while heading to a scene.  And, it may be better
to stash a couple of packages of toilet paper, in
moisture
and humidity proof baggies, rather than trying to
design
bathroom facilities into the CP.

There are always either too many or too few people in
the CP.  Either enough operators won't be present,
especially in the early stages of the operation, or too
many will
show up, especially in the middle of the operation. 
Thus, some
thought needs to be given to allowing enough space to
accommodate multiple operators, but the layout should
also be
usable by one operator.  And, consideration should be
provided
for allowing the excess personnel to relax in a
location
away from the operating positions.  This can be
accomplished
by including a couple of extra chairs that can be taken
outside of the vehicle.  It may also be desirable to
include an outside canopy or other device to shield
people from
rain or other inclement weather.

Attention should be paid to providing a comfortable
operating position, as well as a comfortable, out of
the way place for spare operators to rest.  Adrenaline
will
power the operations crew for the first hour or two,
caffeine
will power them for another couple of hours, and then
pain
will power them through another few hours, but after
that,
numbness sets in.  Thus, to prevent the operations crew
from becoming zombies, provisions need to be made to
allow
them periodic rest breaks, to satisfy their biological
needs
(hot coffee, sandwiches, etc.), and to provide as much
comfort as possible.  Air conditioning systems are
wonderful for
summer events if the power can be supplied to operate
them. 
Fans may suffice otherwise.  Heating systems are almost
essential in winter.

Dave's thoughts on Power Sources ...
12 volt systems are good since most of the radios that
will be installed in a CP will function from 12 volts. 
This
allows the option of using storage batteries to power
the equipment, an engine powered alternator, or
commercial
power via power supplies.

It is impossible to pay too much attention to lighting.
Darkness can completely change the scenario where the
CP is being used.  Not only are interior lights
necessary
so that the operators can see what they are doing,
exterior lighting is usually required, too.

Some thought may be given to providing automatic switch
over facilities so that if the commercial power drops
out
(either because of a natural disaster, or because some
fool
tripped over the power cord to the vehicle), the
radios,
lights, and computers continue operating from a
battery.  It is
also worth installing lights to indicate which supply
the
equipment is operating from, even if an automatic
switch over isn't being used.  It's very easy to put
the equipment
on a battery supply when the CP is first being
activated,
but then to forget to switch the equipment over to
commercial
power once a power cord has been attached.  It's no fun
to
have a radio quit at an inopportune time because the
battery
it was operating from went dead because the operator
forgot to
switch it over to commercial power.

When using batteries to supply power to the equipment,
it is usually good to have these batteries separate
from the
battery used for starting the vehicle.  It is very
embarrassing
to use a CP from battery power for a few hours, and
then,
upon realizing that the engine needs to be started to
charge
the batteries, to find that there isn't enough power in
the
starting battery to crank the engine.  Many places sell
various types of transfer switches or diode systems to
allow multiple batteries to be charged from the vehicle
alternator, but which will prevent the charge from
being drained
off of all of the batteries at once.  And, even with
these
precautions, it's also a good idea to install a set of
jumper cables in the vehicle.

Redundancy is good in every aspect of the design.  It's
quite possible for any piece of equipment to suddenly
fail. And, if that piece of equipment happens to be
critical
to the operation of the CP, then it has just turned
from
an asset to another piece of junk hampering the
operation.

One concern with using the vehicle's alternator for a
power supply is that this requires running the engine
on the
vehicle. This means that exceptional attention must be
paid to
the exhaust system since it's incredibly easy to create
a
carbon monoxide poisoning scenario.  Any exhaust system
leaks must be fixed, and consideration should be given
to where the exhaust pipe points, and even where the
wind
is coming from and how the vehicle will be oriented
when
in operation.

The same exhaust problems are possible for generators,
too, especially if permanently installed on the
vehicle. 
However, one option for a generator based system is
that it may
be possible to physically remove the generator and
locate
it remotely away from the operating position.  Not only
will this lessen the chances for carbon monoxide
poisoning,
but it may also alleviate some of the noise near the
operating
position.

With any gasoline operated equipment, extended
operations will require refueling periodically. 
Careful consideration
must be given to where any fuel is stored.  Gasoline
vapors
are extremely explosive, and it is not conducive to
good
operations to cause your CP to explode on the scene!

If consideration is given to using the vehicle's
alternator for supplying power to the CP, consideration
should be
given to the thermal aspects of the engine operation. 
Some
vehicles, if allowed to idle for an extended period of
time, may
tend to overheat.  Sometimes, it can be beneficial to
raise the
hood to allow excess engine heat to be dissipated. 
However,
it's also a good idea to place a warning sign in the
driver's
position so that no one attempts to move the vehicle
with the hood
unlatched and partially raised (Don't laugh: it happens
more than
you'd imagine!).  Also, some vehicles when running at
idle
speeds, may not produce enough power from the
alternator to
keep the batter fully charged.

If a permanently mounted generator is to be used to
power the CP, consideration must be given to the
thermal
aspects of the generator installation, which,
unfortunately,
often are counter to the acoustical aspects of the
installation.

Antenna Considerations...
Vehicle mounted antennas are a great way to allow the
CP to become operational quickly, since one of the
biggest
problems when a CP is initially deployed is in getting
enough operators to make it operational.  However,
vehicle mounted antennas have a few problems.  The CP
may be
restricted as to where it can be located, and this may
be in a location which is poor for radio communications
because of altitude considerations.  A remote antenna
system,
complete with 40 feet of mast pipe, and a hundred feet
of coax
can vastly improve the communications efficiency of the
CP.  The drawback, though, is that it requires time and
people
to erect.

One alternative is to provide a push up, or crank up
tower on the CP itself.  Of course, this can turn into
a
mechanical nightmare, especially if the vehicle isn't
securely stabilized.  It's no fun when a slight breeze
causes the CP to be turned over on its side.

Another issue with antenna placement also involves the
choice of equipment to be placed into the CP.  Since
the roof area of the CP will be quite limited, the roof
mounted antennas will necessarily be located quite
close to
each other.  Since most modern radios produce fairly
high
amounts of power, the possibility is present that the
front
ends of the various radios may be overloaded.  There is
little
point in designing a CP with provisions for two
operators if
the radios are desensed by each other so that only one
operator can communicate at a time.  Thus, it's
important to
consider how immune the various radios are to front-end
overload. Band filters may help some if the radios are
on
different bands.

During an operation, the number of people and agencies
on the scene are truly staggering.  What's even more
incredible is that almost all of these agencies have no
way of
communicating with each other directly.  Thus, the
Tower of Babel pales in comparison.  Therefore, it
makes sense
to use the CP to facilitate communications with the
various
agencies and groups on scene.  Of course, legal
requirements may restrict some aspects of this, but the
FRS idea
provides at least one common communications channel.

In any case, it is essential that any equipment
distributed be clearly labeled as to who owns it and
how it should
be returned after the event.  While almost every
emergency
services worker is honest, it's exceptionally easy to
accidentally walk off with a piece of equipment.  And,
labeling the equipment with the owner's name and
address makes the return much more likely.

Of course, as with any handheld radio equipment, extra
batteries are a must.  A batch of FRS or other radios
won't be much good after the batteries run down.  Thus,
provisions need to be made for either replacement
batteries, or a
way to rapidly recharge rechargeable batteries.

Quoted from Part 1 by KC4JTV, "Blocks, jack
stands, or wooden cribbing should be provided to
support your unit and eliminate most of this unneeded
movement.
A small floor jack will make this job less taxing, as
it
provides a substantial mechanical advantage over other
types and can be operated while standing."

This is a good point that is often overlooked by most
groups.  Not only will the continual rocking motion be
annoying, any unlevelness in the vehicle will tend to
increase the danger of hot beverage spills.  Plus, it
can be incredibly tiring to have to continually fight
against
the force of gravity on a sloping floor that is trying
to
push you either into or away from the operating bench.

Quoted from KC4JTV in Part 1, "The eventual layout of
your command post will evolve with its use; this should
be expected and planned for. Don't be
discouraged if a design that sounds and looks good on
paper fails in actual use, as it is nearly impossible
to
forecast the demands that actual deployment will place
on your
equipment. After the initial use of your command post,
preferably in a non-emergency situation, critique its
performance. Don't be afraid to modify it to suit the
needs of your own group, after all it is your home away
from
home."

This is the best piece of advice in the whole article.
There are many of us here who have used CPs, and I'm
sure that we're all willing to discuss our experiences
and
offer our expertise.  However, every group's
requirements and
expectations are slightly different, and what works
well for one group may be completely unusable for
another.
Unfortunately, some of these problems will only become
apparent after the CP has been built and used for a
while.

Thus, the ability to rework it to improve it is an
absolute must.

Plus, another design consideration may be to start
small, and expand and improve the CP after some
experience has
been gained.  Not only does this allow the group's
experience to be factored into the improvements, it
also allows the cost to be spread over a longer period.