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The Rockland County, New York Health Department recently teamed up with the County's Office of Fire and Emergency Service to purchase a mobile, climate-controlled shelter for use during small or large scale emergencies or as a mobile rehabilitation or first aid station during county events.

The state-of-the-art 442 square foot Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter (DRASH) System can be set up or taken down by as few as four people within minutes, includes a double-layer, insulated fabric cover and an independently operational generator and HVAC system.

“We bought the system with the intent of using it during a biological or other casualty event here in Rockland County, but it also has many other uses,” says Chris Jensen from the Office of Fire and Emergency Services. “It can be a command post for a large-scale incident or any mass fatality incident, but it can also be used as a place for men and women fighting a forest fire to recharge their batteries before getting back to work.”

Liz Benjamin from the Rockland County Health Department says that there will be ample opportunities to use the shelter even during non-emergency events. According to Benjamin, the shelter will also be used during county holiday celebrations as a first aid or rehabilitation center.

“We want to look at as many opportunities as possible to use the shelter, so that we are better in tune with how to set it up or take it down. That way, we will have gotten lots of practice in the event that we are faced with a large-scale disaster event where quick response is crucial,” says Benjamin.