Fallon Ambulance Service, the region's largest independent, family-owned ambulance service provider, will deploy the Metro-STAR Central Communications Mobile Command Center to provide coverage for Weymouth during the city's annual Fourth of July Celebration.

The $600,000 Mobile Command Center was obtained through a grant from the Homeland Security Department and is under the command of Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council Special Tactics and Response Division (Metro-STAR), a consortium of 43 local police and sheriff's departments located south of Boston.

Fallon's experienced staff will deploy the Mobile Command Center during the Town of Weymouth's Fourth of July Celebration starting at 5 p.m. at Wessagusset Beach in North Weymouth. City officials estimate that crowds will exceed 20,000.

The Mobile Command Center has the ability to communicate with more than 120 police agencies, federal government agencies, the Coast Guard, the Federal Aviation Agency, State Police and the Department of Public Safety. In addition the satellite links offer self-sufficient phone services, Internet and fax along with the radio communications. The vehicle also has 360-degree video capability reaching up to 100 feet in the air with six portable cameras that can be deployed up to two miles away. The vehicle is large enough to accommodate up to 12 occupants. The state-of-the-art communications center was designed and built by Wolf Coach in Auburn, MA and is garaged in one of the Fallon Ambulance's centers.

"The Mobile Communications Command Center is a wonderful resource for all of the communities served by Metro-STAR and we are pleased to utilize it in coordination of our public safety efforts on July 4th," said Peter Racicot, Senior Vice President of Business Development for Fallon Ambulance. "Security and the safety of the crowd are our primary concern and we are pleased to coordinate our efforts with the Weymouth Police and surrounding agencies."

Metro-STAR offers participating communities an experienced, highly trained and disciplined tactical resource package comprised of local police officers from each member community. The division utilizes the authorized strength of 150 officers which includes a Regional response team used primarily for search and rescue operations involving missing persons and controlling incidents of civil disobedience, a 30-officer Special Weapons and tactics team, and 8-officer Crisis Negotiation Team which includes the services of a forensic psychiatrist and psychologists available to help peacefully manage and resolve critical incidents. The Metro-STAR team includes specially trained police dogs, a command post staff and a Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) component. All TEMS personnel are certified paramedics from Fallon Ambulance Service who have completed nationally recognized courses to prepare them for working in the chaos of a highly charged tactical environment.