NEWTON, TX (November 2, 2004) – Mobile Medical & Command CentersInc. has begun marketing specialized mobile command centers for use by municipalities during times of crisis, such as when traditional posts have been compromised or destroyed.

Mobile Medical said the units also may be used when authorities want to movecommand and control functions nearer to areas that have been exposed to nuclear, biological or chemical agents as a result of terrorism or accidents.

“Government experts fear that terrorists may strike again in the United States, and certain municipalities are (at) higher risk than others,” said Daniel Ayres, president and chief executive officer of Mobile Medical.

Ayres said there are a myriad of reasons – unrelated to terrorism – that might motivate municipalities to use mobile command units, such as:

To respond to natural disasters and coordinate events on location;
For major crime scenes where personnel need to be deployed for many
hours for evidence collection;
For critical incidents that require high levels of field control, suchas hostage situations or tactical police operations;
For events where secure telephone and computer lines are needed, or any situation that would require a field office;
For large public gatherings like an outdoor concert or at a countyFair;
For planned police work, such as field sobriety testing.

The mobile command centers cost between $160,000 and $800,000. The higher price tag, according to Mobile Medical, covers the cost of equipping the unit with satellite communications and a protection package designed to combat nuclear fallout from a dirty bomb, biological agents and biochemical elements that could be used by terrorists or that could leak into the atmosphere during natural disasters or accidents. The vehicles can carry as many as 12 people.

Cities and towns that plan to purchase a mobile command center can do soby applying for federal grants from one of the agencies covered by the Officeof Homeland Security, Mobile Medical said. The grants cover a portion of the cost of the command center.

Recently the Homeland Security Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives recommended reforming the grant funding process in order to prioritize cities that have the highest risk factors.

In addition to using federal funding, Ayers says that most cities also have access to state funds that can be used to supplement purchase costs for a mobile command center.

Ayres says his firm has received numerous domestic and international inquiries concerning the command center.

Mobile Medical, founded in 1980, specializes in designing and providing mobile medical vehicles.