Shell Scotford donates emergency command center to Strathcona County

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It will become the official command post for local first responders.

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On Monday, June 24, Shell Scotford donated the site’s emergency command vehicle to Strathcona County Emergency Services (SCES).

The 2010 Freightliner M2 exceeds all other trucks parked at Sherwood Park Fire Station 6 in height and is equipped with plenty of storage for equipment, a mobile conference room with Wi-Fi capability, a bed and a full washroom including shower.

SCES got its first look at the new device when Shell loaned it to the department in September to conduct a missing persons training scenario.

Before the donation, tactical decisions during typical operations were made in the cabs of SCES command units, which are everyday SUVs supported by the operations center. While that method is considered effective, this new truck provides an expanded base from which multiple agencies can coordinate their communications and send resources where they are needed.

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Local fire chief Martin Paulson said the community is fortunate to have industry partners willing to do their part to protect the community.

“I would like to thank Shell Scotford for their generous donation of this dispatch centre. It is quite an exciting time for the Strathcona County Emergency Services family to take ownership of a unit like this. We are looking forward to actually deploying it and figuring out how we can best use it, whether it be for major incidents or smaller incidents, public events such as New Year’s Eve. We plan to use it frequently and we are looking forward to that challenge.”

While touring the fire truck’s boardroom, the fire chief noted that he would have liked to have had this truck during the wildfires in May 2023.

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This type of truck is used for firefighting operations during cold snaps. Looking back at the devastating fire at Northern Bear Golf Course, SCES used a heated sea canisters to keep the crews warm at temperatures of -40 °C. However, it will be faster to deploy this command unit at similar reactions, since a truck is needed to transport the sea container to the site.

According to Shell, the truck was valued at $180,000, but if SCES were to purchase it new, the replacement cost would exceed $500,000.

In addition to its partnerships with the community, Shell also donated the truck because they felt it could be better utilized by local fire departments.

“We’re really grateful for the partnership with Strathcona County Fire. Whenever we call, you guys are there,” said Duane Seelochan, Shell Scotford’s Incident Manager and Fire Chief. “One of the things we looked at when we went down this path was using a unit like this. It’s a great unit, it’s served us well, but we’ve used it very limitedly… If you look at the industrial heartland, there are a lot of industrial sites that could use a unit like this. So by donating it, we’re bringing it more into the community and helping to manage the risks.

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The truck will be sent to the county’s fleet department where it will be fitted with WiFi, radios, AV, SCES branding and loaded with local fire equipment. Estimated costs are between $40,000 and $60,000. Some equipment from the former Winnebago command units, such as DVRs and radio repeaters, will be installed in the new truck. The former command vehicle will be decommissioned.

Due to its size alone, local residents will quickly become familiar with this truck when it is out in public at incidents or events.

“I’m very impressed that we have a partner in our community that is generous and thinks about the larger community instead of auctioning everything off. I think that’s great. Our relationships with industry are great,” noted SCES Vice Chief Gordon George. “To me, this is an extension of incident management that will directly support our first responders to make sure they understand what’s expected of them, that they’re given the tools and instructions, and that they can go out and do their jobs more effectively, which you can’t do in the cab of a truck because there’s just too much information. Here we can compartmentalize the information and share it appropriately.”

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X: LindsayDMorey

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