Columbia Weather Systems

F or Emergency Preparedness Month, we are sharing this mobile emergency operations center built by LDV for the Calcasieu, Louisiana Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (OHSEP) complete with a Magellan MX500 ™ Weather Station, WeatherMaster ™ Software and display. Located in southern Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish is an area vulnerable during the hurricane season. The mobile center arrived just in time for Hurricane Laura. Magellan MX Weather Stations offer GPS and compass readings, an ideal choice for vehicle and mobile applications requiring real-time met data on the go. Contact us for information on the best weather station for your operations, or visit our website here . For a virtual walk-through of Calcasieu Parish’s mobile emergency operations center (catch a glimpse of the weather display at 1:37), watch this video . A Magellan MX500 Weather Station is mounted on the roof of the  mobile emergency operations center. This screenshot by the NOAA s...

Looking forward to  Northwest Fire & Rescue Exposition  May 16-17. Admission is free -- visit us at booth #39!

A few weeks ago Portland Fire and Rescue HazMat Response Team responded to a rail car leaking Toluene, a colorless, water-insoluble liquid that smells like paint thinners and can be flammable. Some nearby buildings were evacuated, while others were told to shelter in place. Highway 30 was closed for several hours. When asked whether their Orion Nomad™ Portable Weather Station was deployed, Fire Lieutenant Bryan Profit replied, “Yes – Thanks for a great product.” Portland F&R purchased weather stations in conjunction with Tualatin Valley F&R and Gresham F&R to outfit Hazmat response teams in the Portland metro area. Their weather stations include Weather Display consoles and WeatherMaster Software for integration with CAMEO/ALOHA. Hazmat team positions include Resource Technical Specialist responsible to “Provide and interpret meteorological monitoring information,” as well as the Team leader who “Ensures that current weather data and future weather prediction...

This new Haz-Mat Apparatus for City of Ottawa, Canada, is a recent delivery from Emergency Vehicles, Inc. Images show an Orion Weather Station™ mounted on the back with a CWS Weather Display™ mounted on the interior for real-time monitoring and trend graphs. Congratulation on the new apparatus and thanks for choosing met equipment from Columbia Weather Systems! View more photos here

One final quote as we wrap up this series on 5 Reasons Why Incident Command Needs a Weather Station: "As fire service leaders, it is essential that we assure our personnel have the right information , and that it goes to all the right people at exactly the right time  so everyone is empowered to make the right decisions ,"  says Todd LeDuc in a recent Fire Engineering article. Extreme weather, hazmat, wildland, whatever the situation, weather stations can provide meteorological information on-scene and up-to-the-minute to help you make the right decisions.

Accurate weather data leads to more accurate incident reporting, which can lead to better outcomes. Successful management of emergency incidents increasingly depends on reliable on-scene data and communication technologies. F or incident command, planning and personnel accountability can include weather monitoring technology with seamless inclusion of met data in incident reporting for documentation and analysis. Weather data is one piece that leads to a fuller and more detailed big picture. Weather data is a component of several NFIRS modules. Incident reports can include conditions during the incident such as wind and humidity, as well as weather conditions that contributed to the incident such as freezing temperatures. Analysis includes how weather conditions impacted the incident itself and response such as tactics and personnel – what was effective, what can improve, how to be prepared for next time. With rapid deployment, on-scene portable or vehicle-mounted we...