Wildfires are getting worse – larger, faster moving and reaching elevations they haven’t before. There are several reasons for that, one being the remote locations where they often begin. “It’s very difficult to manage wildfire in those areas where there is no road access or any of the infrastructure needed to support firefighting activity,” said Quinn Barber, a fire science analyst with the Canadian Forest Service, in an analysis of Canada’s destructive 2023 wildfire season.
In much of America there are fire-service and Forest Service roads deep into the backcountry that firefighters can use to get close to wildland burns, but they can be unmaintained – rough, narrow, muddy and obstructed. Getting a bus or other bulky command vehicle down them to run a prolonged response operation isn’t always feasible.
“You need something that can withstand rough terrain but also navigate smaller logging roads and areas like that,” said Ross Roberts, marketing director for TruckVault, which offers a range of in-vehicle storage and transport options for the emergency services and others. “Out in the woods, it’s a huge advantage to be in a smaller vehicle, get around a bit easier and still fit the people you need in it.”
TruckVault’s new Pro Line series of mobile command centers brings command capabilities to standard pickup trucks, allowing fire service leaders to run operations from extreme scenes unreachable by larger vehicles.
Suitable for bed lengths of 5½, 6½ and 8 feet, the series comes in six models for a range of needs, with further customizations possible.
TAKE THE OFFICE TO THE SCENE
The idea for the mobile command centers – “offices on the road” that sit atop the company’s TruckGlide platforms and slide out from the truck bed for easy access – came from the company’s customers.
“We based it off feedback we’d received over the years,” said Lisa Herrera, TruckVault’s public safety territory manager for the West Coast. “In big command situations like fires, they need multiple workstations from a pickup where they can control teams and people and make sure things get done. But it’s really difficult to do that from just a pickup or SUV. So they really need more space and more accessibility.”
Besides rural and wilderness types of operations, the centers can also provide command abilities at mass gatherings and special events, added response capabilities in urban settings with congestion, road damage and other impediments, and a platform for regional cooperation when major events occur.
TruckVault
The TruckGlide system provides that accessibility, pulling out to provide crews unobstructed reach from three sides. This lets them move quickly and efficiently in the early moments of an event and throughout its management. The Pro Line units also provide significant storage.
“You can have four or five people working from them at once,” added Herrera. “You can have people getting bunker gear on one side, then a command center on the back with radios and map boards and everything else, and then tools and SCBA on the other side. It provides a lot of options to be more efficient.”
Besides rural and wilderness types of operations, the centers can also provide command abilities at mass gatherings and special events, added response capabilities in urban settings with congestion, road damage and other impediments, and a platform for regional cooperation when major events occur.
The six Pro Line models are multipurpose but tailored to support certain uses:
- A command center for drone operations, Pro Line 1 includes a folding monitor mount compatible with most 32-inch monitors and a retractable table that supports up to 200 pounds. This is a powered model, with 110-volt, USB, USB-C and HDMI ports; it also features three lockable drawers and adjustable shelving.
- Pro Line 2 maximizes storage for equipment and gear, with two full-length gear tunnels to hold large breaching tools, as well as locking drawers, equipment trays and cubby compartments with adjustable shelving.
- Pro Line 3 is suited for fire and EMS use, with an integrated SCBA bracket on a pull-out tray, dual magnetic command boards for overseeing field operations and a large storage cubby with cargo net.
- Another storage-intense option, Pro Line 4 features both secured and unsecured storage areas, including two full-length secure drawers with latching lids for quick-access items and adjustable shelving.
- For covered trucks, Pro Line 5 provides an angled radio panel and a slide-out magnetic dry erase board with storage beneath. Another model with integrated power, it also includes a large gear tray and adjustable shelving.
- Suited for rapid response and radio communication, Pro Line 6 has integrated power, two magnetic map boards, three high-security drawers and multiple cubbies for gear storage.
While the original TruckGlide platform that provides mobility to the Pro Line units is manufactured steel and rated to support loads of up to 1,500 pounds, the company also created a longer, eight-foot TruckGlide for its command center that can hold more than twice that. “There shouldn’t be any fear of putting too much weight on it,” noted Roberts.
Design challenges included integrating the radio capabilities – TruckVault’s design team worked with fire-service contacts to ensure designs met their needs – and simply packing all the contents the company wanted to include into the necessary compact space.
“It can be tricky, especially when you’re dealing with components like drone monitors,” said Herrera. “You have to run power. How are you going to deal with charging? It took us a while to finalize these designs and fit a lot of stuff into one small bed – we were basically designing off the 5½-foot bed. The eight-foot bed gave us the benefit of more space, but it was still a parameter to work around.”
Nonetheless, the resulting designs had plenty of extra room. Of the two primary departments that provided TruckVault with input, one found the resulting unit had even more space than it needed. The other loaded up extra tactical gear and was able to carry additional water bottles – a rehab essential for firefighters on scenes.
“Coolers are very common to carry, because firefighters are working out there for hours,” said Herrera. “A lot of departments carry medical kits. SCBAs are a big one because they have to have backups. For Halligans and shovels and stuff like that, we have a model with longer tunnel spaces for longer tools. We have another with specific space for turnout gear – they can really hold a variety.”
Other key attributes of the Pro Line units include top tie-down points for easy securing of cargo; adjustable shelving heights; and spray-coated protection against dust, grit and the sharp edges of tools. That also makes cleaning a simple matter of soap and water.
ACTING FAST MATTERS
In the early moments of a wildfire or other major incident, getting command established and operating quickly is paramount. The Pro Line series of mobile command centers lets departments take those operations into remote, crowded and other difficult-to-reach locations – in pickup trucks that can get places larger vehicles can’t – and provide full capabilities for orchestrating an incident response.
And even as their commanders direct vital early efforts, the units provide fire-rescue personnel quick access to their needed tools and supplies.
“The organization benefit is huge, and the ease of access from all sides,” said Roberts. “Everyone will know where everything is supposed to be. A lot of departments outfit their fleets the exact same way, so everybody knows where this or that tool is, where the SCBA is, where the radio is, where the batteries are – it just makes it a complete rig that’s ready to go.”
