Tinker, cities to share mobile command post Published Sept. 19, 2014 By John Parker Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE - Okla. -- Midwest City and Del City recently received a major boost in responding to disasters and significant emergencies, courtesy of Tinker Air Force Base. City and Tinker officials signed an agreement Sept. 10 to share a Joint Mobile Command and Communications trailer that was previously only available for the Tinker Fire and Emergency Services Division. The 36-foot-long command post will be a vital resource when emergency responders need to coordinate actions at an ongoing scene, such as wildfires or tornado recovery operations, officials said. "Being able to partner on emergency response is critical," said Col. Lea T. Kirkwood, vice commander of the 72nd Air Base Wing. "It really shows the benefits of our partnerships with the community. "It's going to help saves lives and property and contribute to making sure that whatever emergency happens is either controlled or responded to in the best manner possible," she said. Midwest City Mayor Jack Fry said the agreement with Tinker saves both cities a significant amount of money by improving emergency options without having to buy a command post. "Anything we can do with the base is a win-win to stop duplication and combine resources," Mr. Fry said. "This is just one more show of what we can accomplish in our due diligence to make a better quality of life for everybody and certainly the taxpayers in saving money." The command trailer is equipped with multi-department radio communications and a pole-mounted camera that can be elevated 25 feet. It also features weather monitors for on-site conditions, Internet connections, phones and a bathroom. A large, touch-screen monitor is being installed for situations such as a plume of hazardous gas threatening residents, Tinker fire Major Kevin Smith said. Incident commanders can map the threat area on the screen and determine the safest evacuation routes, he said. The cities' emergency responders can call on the Tinker-based trailer as needed and operate it independently for situations in their jurisdiction. It can also act as the on-scene headquarters for all three departments or more, officials said. Del City fire Chief Jim Hock said the ability to run operations and plan responses in an all-weather trailer will enhance his department's effectiveness. The new agreement follows a historic move in July to allow joint training among the departments, mutual ride-alongs and learning each other's capabilities more closely. Tinker fire Chief Terry Ford said sharing the command post will give Tinker more community resources to call upon in emergencies and improve interagency operations. "We get a lot of resources off base from this, and they get a little bit better capability for command post operations," he said. The agreement grew out of the community partnership initiative that brings together city and Tinker officials every three months to discuss ways to share resources. The initiative is known as P4 for "public-public and public-private partnership."