USACE holds viewing for new emergency operations vehicle

VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) and Vicksburg District hosted a public viewing for a new emergency operations vehicle, June 16, 2021, at MVD headquarters. 

The emergency command and control vehicle (ECCV) serves as a mobile operations center for the district’s disaster response and is manned by a two-person deployment team. The 47-foot box truck is fully operational within 15 minutes of arrival and comes equipped with radio, satellite and cellular communication capabilities that can be delivered over and outside the USACE network. The workspace is completely self-contained and can accommodate up to 11 users simultaneously. An onboard fuel supply allows the ECCV to run for up to 72 hours in situations where fuel access may be limited or inconsistent. 

As one of 15 of its kind across the country, the ECCV is strategically placed to respond to emergencies along the Gulf Coast. It can also respond anywhere in the United States and its territories. 

“Tactical vehicles are essential for rapid deployment and disaster assistance efforts. The emergency command and control vehicle will allow us to get on the scene as quickly as possible,” said DTOS team lead Callie Russell. 

The district’s ECCV team consists of six personnel who stand ready to deploy two at a time within 24 hours. Deployments assist emergency operation efforts as directed by USACE headquarters and assist partners such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Previous operations conducted by ECCVs include managing FEMA’s temporary roofing effort through Operation Blue Roof, temporary housing, debris and temporary power missions.

In addition to the ECCV, the Vicksburg District houses a heavy-duty pickup truck that serves as a chaser vehicle (CV). The vehicles were received from the USACE Mobile District as part of the Deployable Tactical Operations System (DTOS) controlled by USACE headquarters. The Vicksburg District is a new custodial district for the DTOS program.

DTOS is a coordination of both teams and equipment that provide tactical support for disaster missions across the nation and the world. 

The USACE Vicksburg District is engineering solutions to the nation’s toughest challenges. The Vicksburg District encompasses a 68,000-square-mile area across portions of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana that holds nine major river basins and incorporates approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees. The district is engaged in hundreds of projects and employs approximately 1,100 personnel.