The Israeli MDA Presents its New Command and Emergency Vehicles
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עברית (Hebrew)
The latest MDA (Magen David Adom, Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross) command vehicle was based on a Dutch truck chassis, built in England and equipped with advanced Israeli systems. The vehicle will be used during national disasters, when communications fail. The new command truck includes cameras, MDA call centers, remote control, an advanced meeting room and a platform that can be used as a strategic command and control center.
50 feet in length, 12 feet high, weighing 32 tons, a generator and an attached 900-liter diesel-fuel container: This is one of the most advanced command vehicles in the world, and the only one of its kind ever assembled for the MDA. The cameras installed in the vehicle can rise to a height of about 60 feet and cover a wide area. Fully functioning MDA call centers can receive calls for aid from several disaster areas, and the truck includes a fully functioning meeting room as well.
The command truck allows rescue personnel in the field to use radio, Wi-Fi and internet even in situations where the communications infrastructure fails, as is often the case during large-scale disasters. This will allow rescue and emergency personnel to continue functioning almost without interruption, in order to keep saving lives in the most efficient manner.
IHLS – Israel Homeland Security
The command vehicle was assembled in England, based on a Dutch DAF truck. The project was a part of the organization’s general response to the Carmel fire disaster, and the entire process took four years. During the Carmel fire MDA personnel had to overcome many challenges, the most pressing of which was frequent communications failures, making it very hard for them to coordinate their efforts with the other rescue personnel in the field. After the fires MDA focused on enhancing its capabilities, in preparation for future national disasters. The new command vehicle is a part of these efforts.
Rescue force worldwide have contacted the MDA about the new vehicle and its capabilities. It can allow personnel in the field to continue operating during national disasters even if cellular networks, land-lines, and radio communications all fail.
In addition to the new command truck the MDA presented other new vehicles: The “jeepbulance”, advanced emergency response vehicles, an advanced emergency response motorcycle, the advanced T3 Segway, and others. The MDA also presented its new Chevrolet Suburban, ordered and assembled especially for the Israeli organization – a rescue vehicle designed to overcome difficult terrain, such as ravines or sandy beaches.
