Summary:
Hamilton County STARS received a government grant, and had a unique opportunity to find the right command vehicle for its various rescue services. Clay Ingle from STARS, has over 40 years of experience in rescue operations, and knew the exact solution needed for his team. After working with Draxxon to obtain a DX-1000 Mobile Command Vehicle (MCV), the STARS team now has complete accountability for their team when they lead rescue operations.
High Expectations to Support Highly Important Mission
The Hamilton County Special Tactics and Rescue Services, Inc. (STARS) provide special tactical and technical support to area fire, rescue and police services throughout Chattanooga, Hamilton County Tennessee and the surrounding area. The STARS Team is a support group of the Hamilton County Emergency Services.
As their website states, they have responded to over 500 missions, supporting:
- Local Fire, rescue and EMS
- Local law enforcement
- FBI, TBI, GBI, and other Tri-State Law Enforcement Agencies
- Additional Assistance for Special Events
Clay Ingle is Chief of the Hamilton County STARS, and has seen a lot in his decades of experience. When it came time to find a new vehicle, he had high expectations.
An Exciting Command Vehicle Opportunity
The opportunity came for Ingle to assess options for a new vehicle when a government grant came through, allowing for an upgrade.
Clay was thrilled to upgrade from the STARS’ 2001 van to a support vehicle that met their requirements for a command center.
Enter Draxxon’s Mobile Command Vehicle
Clay first heard of Draxxon through another government agency who had good things to say.
“We met with Draxxon and it was very easy working with them because they understood what we needed,” Clay said. “They took time to listen to our needs. In this situation we specifically needed a command truck, and our number one priority was accountability.”
Draxxon naturally fit the role, offering both off-the-shelf and fully customizable solutions in its DX-1000 designs. It can be as simple as a single person point of command station. Or as complicated as a multi-agency point of global command and control systems. All of this uses a wide array of technology.
Specific Command Vehicle Needs and Desires
Clay didn’t approach Draxxon with vague ideas. He had a vision in mind from the start. What he needed was to work with a team that could bring this vision to life.
“I’ve been in emergency services for over 40 years, so I had a very specific idea of what I wanted,” Clay said. “I couldn’t have been more impressed with the Draxxon team, as they were able to provide exactly what I needed.”
“It was a great experience all the way through, and they made sure to take the time to understand our goals.”
Priority #1: Accountability
Clay explained that accountability was his number one priority. In the rescue field means being able to account for each individual that’s out on the mission.
His vision for the MCV was to have a section dedicated solely to accountability, which was achieved through the Draxxon DX-1000.
Clay explained that they used the entire back of the DX1000 for accountability.
“This allows us to constantly keep up with all of the people who are out and track each person,” he said. “An infinite commander will be inside the MCV and be informed on where every single person is.”
“Having the accountability station was essential for us, and it works exactly as we’d hoped,” Clay said.
‘The DX-1000 Does Everything I wanted it to’
While the back of the DX-1000 is used for accountability, it also has the exterior drivers side front for a briefing area. The exterior briefing area features a daylight viewable display to provide relevant data and imagery to others on scene. The vehicle interior provides operators with comfortable, secure command and control positions. We achieve an entirely new level of SITUATIONAL AWARENESS by using a wide variety of sensors and technology.
“The DX-1000 does everything we wanted it to,” Clay said. “I can’t brag enough about the work they did. Or how helpful they’ve been in getting this van exactly how we wanted it. The Draxxon team are great people, and I’d highly recommend them for anyone who has an opportunity to get a rescue vehicle.”
