1991 Ford Mobile Command Post

In April of 2002, the emergency management office completed the renovation and equipping of a mobile command post, and put the vehicle into service.  In late 2001, this vehicle was acquired from the Southwestern Community School District.  The large RV-style van, originally used as a mobile classroom for special education courses, now serves as an on-site command post for public safety responders at the scene of major incidents or long-term emergency events.  The vehicle will be particularly useful for incidents that last several hours or days, such as special events, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue calls, drowning recoveries, and major crime scene investigations.  The vehicle is also used to support the Grant County Crisis Resolution Team during negotiations, tactical operations, and other incidents.  The van is used as an on-site law enforcement headquarters for the Sheriff's Department at the county fair, and by the Platteville Police Department during Dairy Days.  The van is also used by the emergency management department as a mobile office to assist homeowners during times of disaster, such as the spring 2002 Cassville flash flooding.

Communications equipment in the van includes several public safety and amateur band mobile radios, 12 multi-channel VHF portable radios, 40 multi-channel UHF special event portable radios, a NOAA weather receiver, cellular and landline telephones, a laptop computer, a color printer/fax/copy machine, and a combination TV/VCR.  The unit is also equipped with a mobile weather station, rear heat and air conditioning , a refrigerator, and a microwave.

Supplies carried on board include incident command vests and equipment, a pass system, a volunteer accountability kit, a neighborhood evacuation kit, crime scene investigative equipment, chemical reference books and software, and extra copies of all city, village, and county-wide emergency plans.  The majority of the funding necessary to outfit the van was provided through the Grant County LEPC, and most of the radio and computer equipment was purchases through hazardous materials preparedness grant funding.

Click here for a virtual tour of the mobile command post.

2004 3/4 ton Chevy Suburban

The department's suburban is used by the emergency management director to respond to emergency scenes, and carries a stockpile of equipment and emergency plans used to coordinate an emergency response effort.  The suburban is also used to pull mass casualty, decontamination, technical rescue, and operational support trailers in response to major events as well as during training.
The suburban is equipped with several public safety-band radios, and also carries a cache of spare portable radios for use at emergency scenes and special events. 
Since the suburban is needed to pull disaster trailers and needs to be available for emergency response, it is rarely taken outside of Grant County.  The suburban was purchased in 2004 with a federal grant.

1998 Ford Crown Victoria Interceptor

This vehicle is generally driven by the deputy director, and serves as the administrative vehicle in our fleet.  It is used for the everyday functions of our office, primarily for the purposes of traveling to the various communities to work on emergency plans, conduct training, or coordinate disaster exercises.  This vehicle is also used for department staff to travel to the many out-of-town meetings we must attend, held in Madison and other areas of the state.  The vehicle is equipped with public-safety radio equipment, a cell phone, a cache of incident command supplies and copies of our most important emergency response plans and resource directories.

2005 Central States/Freightliner Heavy Rescue Truck

(Coming Soon!).  Our department has ordered and will soon take delivery of a 20' non-walk in heavy rescue truck from Central States Fire Apparatus.  The truck will be used by the Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Technical Rescue Team to transport team members and equipment to the scene of emergencies.  The truck is scheduled for delivery in May or June of 2005.

The truck will be equipped with an on-board air supply and fill station, a 25KW generator, portable scene lighting, an extending roof-mounted light tower, and specially designed compartments to hold the various rescue tools and equipment used by the team.  It is built on a 4-door Freightliner chassis, and will have seating for a driver and SCBA seats for four passengers.

The $213,000 vehicle was funded by a homeland security regional teams grant through the state Office of Justice Assistance.

Technical Rescue Trailer

This trailer is presently being used by the Southwest Wisconsin Regional Technical Rescue Team to house their equipment until the heavy rescue truck is completed, in summer of 2005.  The trailer is a 16' United Cargo dual-axle trailer, with numerous upgrades such as a rubberized floor, fiberglass walls, interior lighting, and exterior floodlights.  A generator will be added to the tongue of the trailer in 2005. 

Equipment carried on the trailer includes a full compliment of rope rescue and confined space equipment, as well as necessary equipment for responding to collapse rescue and trench rescue incidents. 

High & low angle rescue equipment carried on board the trailer includes sections of 3/4" rescue rope (2-600', 2-350', 2-200' 2-150'), harnesses, pulleys and rigging hardware, a stokes basket, webbing, harnesses, and safety equipment.  Confined space equipment includes a collapsible tripod, ventilation equipment, air line respirators, gas monitors, and extrication devices.  Heavy rescue equipment includes high pressure rescue airbags, low pressure rescue cushions, a pneumatic rescue strut kit, and a full compliment of heavy duty power tools, saws, air nailers, and hand tools for trench and collapse rescue response.

When the technical rescue team moves in to their new truck, this trailer will be reassigned as a third mass-casualty trailer deployed in northern Grant County.

Hazardous Materials Response/Decontamination Trailers

Our office has acquired and distributed three hazardous materials response/decontamination trailers, which are operated by fire departments in Grant County.  These trailers are housed by the Boscobel, Lancaster, and Cuba City Fire Departments, and carry specialized equipment to be used to protect firefighters from hazardous chemicals, and to decontaminate people who have been exposed to dangerous substances.

In 2005, it is anticipated that Grant County will form a hazardous materials team made up of firefighters from various departments throughout the county.  The trailers will serve to support the hazardous materials team, and to ensure that necessary equipment is distributed throughout the county, to ensure a quick and adequate response.

These trailers were funded 100% through federal homeland security grants.

Medical Response Trailers

Our office has acquired and distributed two medical response trailers (also referred to as "mass casualty trailers"), to be used by emergency medical providers at emergency scenes where a large number of people have been injured. 

The trailer delivers necessary emergency supplies to the scene of an emergency, to treat and stabilize patients until enough ambulances can arrive on scene to transport all of the injured.  The equipment on the trailer augments what is already carried on ambulance, and includes backboards, cervical immobilization devices, oxygen, trauma dressings, burn dressings, and basic critical care supplies (airway management kits, bag valve masks, etc).  The trailers also carry additional personal protective equipment for medical responders, such as latex-free medical gloves, goggles, and N95 Masks.

Likely incidents that could occur in this area that would necessitate these trailers might include a school bus accident, a tornado, a nursing home evacuation/fire, or a multi-car crash on a foggy day, perhaps on the newly expanded 4-lane highway 151.  Less likely but possible scenarios include explosions, a building collapse, a plane crash, or a school shooting/attack.  Anywhere large gatherings of people occur (racetracks, fairgrounds, sporting events, etc) leave the possibility for a large number of people to be injured in an accident.

One of the trailers will be housed in Lancaster, and the second will be housed with a department in Southern Grant County.  A third trailer will eventually be added, and housed in Northern Grant County.

Support Trailer

Our department's support trailer is used to carry basic emergency supplies to the scene of an emergency that will last several hours or more.  Support equipment such as tables, chairs, E-Z up shelters, signage, traffic direction cones and equipment, tarps, extension cords, and barricade tape are carried in the trailer. 

Equipment to support emergency responders and volunteers, such as coolers, soda, bottled water, flashlights, rain gear, coffee makers, roasters/food warmers, and many other items are also carried on the trailer.

The trailer also contains equipment that would be used to set up a fixed emergency operations center in a city that was impacted by an event, such as a tornado.  This equipment includes office supplies, a portable copy machine, a fax machine, a multi-line telephone switchboard system, volunteer coordination supplies, donations management supplies, and base-station radio communications equipment.

Jet Ski

Generators

The emergency management office maintains several trailer-mounted generators to supply backup or emergency power as needed.  The generators include a 25KW trailer-mounted diesel generator, a 15KW trailer mounted gas generator, and (2) 5KW gas generators pre-loaded on a trailer.  Several very large crank-up 5,000 watt light towers are also maintained by our office, and wired to work with our 5KW generators.

Sandbags

Our office maintains a stockpile of approximately 25,000 sandbags that are available free of charge to local municipalities on an emergency basis (local authorities may in turn make them available to Grant County residents at no charge).  Additional sandbags are available on short notice from a variety of sources, such as Wisconsin Emergency Management, the Army Corps of Engineers, and private-sector vendors.  Several municipalities, such as the Village of Cassville, also maintain a small stockpile of sandbags.

Additional Equipment Available to Our Department

Patrol/Dive Boats

The Grant County Sheriff's Office maintains two boats, which in addition to law enforcement uses are also available to the technical rescue team and dive team.  The primary boat, a fiberglass-hull "skooter", can operate in relatively shallow water, and has a large deck that is ideally suited to supporting dive operations on the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers.  The secondary boat is a 10-foot flat-bottom aluminum boat with a 25HP Johnson motor.

2004 John Deere Gator 4x4 ATV

The Grant County Sheriff's Office maintains a John Deere Gator for use during search and rescue incidents, special events, off-road investigations, and many other occasions where such a vehicle is necessary due to the terrain.  The vehicle is available to the emergency management office, technical rescue team, and dive team when circumstances require an ATV to transport personnel or equipment to remote locations.