N.Y. Mobile Command Center Wins Best Practices Award

Article

New York Superintendent of Insurance Howard Mills announced that The New York State Forum, a part of the Rockefeller Institute of Government, is giving a 2005-2006 Best Practices Award to the New York State Insurance Department for its acquisition and launch of a Mobile Command Center (MCC).

The award will be presented to the Insurance Department at the New York State Forum’s annual meeting on Friday, Sept. 8 at The Desmond Hotel and Conference Center, 660 Albany Shaker Road, Albany, NY.

“The Insurance Department’s Mobile Command Center is an office on wheels, giving us the ability to continue operations if our department’s existing communications infrastructure is severely damaged or temporarily disabled,” Mills said.

The 36-foot MCC vehicle, which came into service in June 2006, is equipped with the latest computer and electronic communications systems, including satellite and Internet telephones, as well as devices that give authorized Insurance department personnel access to police radio systems in case of an emergency.

The MCC is also able to bring department services to the scene of natural disasters. The MCC was deployed to New York’s southern tier, for example, in response to the extensive flooding in late June that drove thousands from their homes in 13 central New York and Hudson Valley counties.

In addition, the MCC enables the Superintendent of Insurance to receive live updates from the site of an emergency situation.

The New York State Forum is a network of public officials and State government organizations concerned with information management, policy, and technology. The Forum’s Best Practices Awards are given to a limited number of state and local agencies in recognition of their efforts to improve public-sector services through the use of effective information management. The Insurance Department’s award is in the technical category, honoring excellence in the implementation of information technology to meet governmental business goals.

Source: NYSID

Was this article valuable?