HOUSTON – With hurricane season in sight, Texas school districts have a new ally in the mobile incident command center from Harris County Department of Education (HCDE). The purpose of the portable, emergency satellite system on wheels is to assist districts in regaining control of communications when disaster strikes.
The remote system may be sent out in response to natural disasters such as Hurricane Rita and Katrina, or threats like school shootings. Capabilities include revitalizing downed or jammed telephone systems, Internet services or network security cameras.
Managed by HCDE’s Center for Safe and Secure Schools and Technology divisions, the system consists of the satellite managed through a 16-foot, walk-in trailer, which doubles as a response center. The mobile center is powered by electricity or a diesel fuel generator.
“The mobile incident command center is used for emergency communications for voice and Internet connectivity when traditional resources are not available,” said HCDE Technology’s Chief Information Officer Jim Schul. The satellite communications system will be used in coordination with the Center for Safe and Secure Schools for major natural or man-made disasters which can leave education communities helpless for hours or even days. “While HCDE is being proactive by purchasing the system, the true purpose is to react to disaster, when needed, by the school districts we serve.”
In the event of a terrorist threat or school shooting like Columbine, the service could be used to assist with the coordination of first responders, says HCDE Center for Safe and Secure Schools Director Karl Boland, a law enforcement veteran. “During disasters, land-line and cellular phone systems within school districts become saturated and can essentially shut down with the burden of overload,” said Boland. “This service can overcome that problem.”
Superintendents from 26 districts surrounding Harris County were invited to witness a demonstration of the system’s capabilities earlier this year.Recently, HCDE transported the system to Education Service Center Region 18 in Big Spring, Texas, during a mock exercise involving weapons of mass destruction with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and 17 first-responder agencies.
“Having satellite capability for this exercise was crucial, as the disaster coordination and communications were heavily evaluated,” said Schul.
The satellite-trailer system, valued at about $100,000, was purchased by HCDE and is powered by a contract between HCDE and the Broadpoint Company, which provides satellite service to the mobile incident command system. Districts throughout Texas would be nominally charged for the services in the event it is dispatched. In cases of natural disaster, Schul says that FEMA could possibly reimburse the impacted school districts for use of the system, depending on the nature of the disaster.
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HCDE press release
