The Catawba County Emergency Services Mobile Command Post (MCP) is designed to provide all the capabilities of an office environment anywhere in the region. The 1998 Airstream Cutter was converted into the MCP in 2005. It is designed to functionally house the Command Staff for an emergency event. The redesign of this vehicle was a collaborative effort between the Catawba County Emergency Services staff and the Catawba County IT Department utilizing funding from grants.

The MCP has had its’ two generators upgraded to two 7,000 watt Onan generators. These generators provide power for all of the electronic and communications equipment in the vehicle. The MCP is equipped with satellite capabilities that provide; internet service, telephone service and satellite television services. There are a total of 5 computers housed on the MCP that have internet capabilities and the ability to print within the vehicle. Additionally, there is a map plotter printer in the MCP that can print maps of almost any size or configuration. The Planning Section work station has a dedicated printer that also doubles as a copy machine. The communication equipment is currently setup to allow the MCP to communicate with all agencies within the County and also has 800mHz capabilities. The radios can also be programmed to communicate outside of the County with other agencies throughout the region.

Since its redesign in 2005, the MCP has already been used to help mitigate events on numerous occasions both inside and outside the County. This valuable resource is available for deployment anywhere in the region to assist with emergency events.