A hazardous material spill. A search for a missing Alzheimer’s patient. A fire in a sprawling warehouse.

Emergencies of this magnitude demand plenty of personnel. But to coordinate the many personnel and many efforts required to handle such jobs, an on-the-site organizational structure is required. That’s why Limerick Fire Company recently placed in service its 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe Command Unit, known as Command 54. The vehicle is equipped with metal marking boards, maps of the township, layouts of the building, additional radios and firefighting gear.

“The purpose is to have all three agencies—fire, police and ambulance- work together under one command structure,” stated Kenneth Shuler, chief of the Limerick Fire Company. “It’s usually a chief, deputy or assistant chief who are the ones at the command post. Together, they size up the incident and decide what is the best approach to take.