IDHS Emergency Preparedness and Response staff members regularly participate in FEMA and Civil Air Patrol exercises in addition to responding to state emergencies and disasters. The agency retains several vehicles for emergency operations and responses as well as for training purposes. Satellite phones have been installed in response vehicles, and a satellite dispatch system is installed in the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). These and other systems and equipment allow the department mobility that is vital when disasters strike around the state.
When not in use, some of the agency's vehicles can be requested for training or community events around Indiana:
IDHS maintains a team of volunteer amateur radio operators (also known as ham radio operators) that assist when government emergency management offices need communications support, such as in the event of an infrastructure failure. Learn more about the AUXCOMM team
The Mobile Command Center is on-call 24 hours a day to maintain contact between personnel in the field and the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC).
The Mobile Simulation Laboratory is a free educational resource available to EMS and fire instructors all over the state of Indiana. High-fidelity simulation provides instructors with the ability to expose students and seasoned EMS personnel to real-world situations in a safe environment.
For more information, visit the Sim Lab page or contact esimlab@dhs.in.gov.