Madison County Supervisors have voted to purchase a mobile command unit via a federal grant.
In January, 7th District Congressman Eugene Vindman announced he was able to secure $2.75 million for law enforcement and public safety projects in the district. Among them was $500,000 for the Madison County Sheriff’s Office to purchase and deploy a unified mobile command center. The vehicle will be used by first responders to establish operational command, communications and coordination between agencies during critical events. The need for such a unit became apparent during the 2023 Quaker Run Fire which burned nearly 4,000 acres near Syria. Sheriff Erik Weaver said the county’s response was being conducted from the back of a utility trailer which was less than ideal. He said the unit can also be used at the county’s numerous events including the annual Labor Day weekend Taste of the Mountains street festival and the county fair.
On Tuesday, supervisors approved the purchase from JHB Group Corporation. The Solon Mills, IL based company was one of eight bidders that submitted during an invitation for bids. The bids were evaluated by a committee composed of representatives from county administration, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County Volunteer Fire Company and EMS. The $499,123 bid for the Chevrolet 5500 4×4 was among the highest, but deputy county administrator Brian Gordon said the committee felt it had the best value with a more favorable design.
“We had eight very competitive bids,” Gordon said. “They came in really tight when scoring these.”
The bids were scored based on compliance of meeting the required specifications; cost; delivery and training; experience and support. The JHB bid scored 161 points, well above the next two highest scored bids which both received 156 points.
The procurement of the vehicle will occur when the county receives the federal grant funding in November. The sheriff’s office will own the unit and be responsible for annual maintenance costs including any software subscriptions.
Supervisors also approved a memorandum of understanding for the unit. The MOU was drafted by the sheriff’s office with input from the fire company and vetting by the county’s legal team. The document states why the unit may be deployed, the responsibilities of each participating agency, deployment priorities, maintenance and training.
Gordon said anytime the unit is deployed in an emergency, agencies will likely be under a unified command with everyone present.
“This is going to be used in something that is fairly large [and lengthy],” he said.
