DUNBAR, W.Va. — Kanawha County unveiled a brand-new mobile command center and fire truck on Tuesday that will boost emergency response efforts.
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango, and more gathered at the Shawnee Sports Complex to showcase the new equipment. These investments, made up of federal and local county funds, totaled north of $1.5 million. The emergency mobile command post cost more than $1 million with more than $500,000 invested for the engine.
Kanawha County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Director C.W. Sigman said this new post and engine are replacing older, existing equipment. He said the mobile command center will be instrumental in aiding the county in responding to disasters.
“A major fire downtown, a major fire in St. Albans, a major fire in Nitro, a chemical plant fire, whatever, we need a mobile command post, we have it available,” Sigman said. “We can set it up at floods, or other disasters, have a place to work out of, it’s equipped with the radios, satellite communications, and all that.”
That mobile command center even includes a coffee pot, Sigman said. As for the fire engine, he said that can help each of Kanawha County’s firefighting stations.
“The fire engine out here is for volunteers for any department that has (needs), we’ve even had the city of Charleston, a couple of fire engines go out of service, broke down because they don’t have reserve apparatus; they can use ours while they’re getting theirs fixed.”
Sigman said the fire engine fills a need in the county, noting that most departments are not stocked with backup equipment.
“Some of the departments don’t have that much reserve apparatus,” Sigman said. “They got two that go down? They’ll need ours. That’s what it’s for. We don’t have to keep as many fire engines sitting around in the fire stations, not being used. This will handle everybody’s calls.”
That fire engine is a versatile piece of equipment for Kanawha County, he noted.
“It’s big enough to handle those big fires, big commercial fires, small enough to get up most of the back roads,” Sigman said. “So, it’s kind of a jack of all trades.”
Since the fire engine is open for many fire departments to use as needed, Sigman said, the county is happy to bring the truck out to any station. He added that’s a good way to show them the ropes.
“What I really want is those departments that may be using it, that we take some driver training for the fire engine,” Sigman said. “I don’t want to get in a fire engine without some training. I don’t want to drive it up a narrow road unless I drove it up through the cones first, so I’m not going to tear it up.”