If severe weather hits and results in major power outages, you may see a new piece of equipment come to town in the aftermath. Ameren has added two specially designed Mobile Command Center trailers to its fleet to coordinate crews and materials. They will be used to complement the company’s emergency preparedness fleet of equipment, which includes storm material trailers and mobile substations.
Ameren Illinois spokesman Brian Bretsch says these new units include drones.
“So if there is an outage we can take that drone up in the air and fly over the power lines and check where the damage is. And the crews on the ground getting ready to do that work can see in real time oh on pole 47 on corner of Maple and Main there is a broken cross arm, or the next block over there may be other equipment damaged or lines down.”
The 24-foot-by-8-foot trailers can be pulled behind an Ameren utility truck and are climate controlled and equipped with high-speed internet access, computer workstations, a generator, technology for viewing real-time drone footage of storm damage and an awning to provide outside cover.
