The cutting-edge design and technology of ThunderWorks’ latest emergency vehicle, the BORSTAR van, is making the tough job of search-and-rescue teams a bit more manageable.

BORSTAR (Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue) teams consist of highly trained border patrol agents capable of responding to emergency situations anywhere in the country. The BORSTAR van provides these teams a self-sufficient, mobile command and communication interoperability platform that can perform in the harshest of environments, regardless of external resources or infrastructure failures.

In developing its newest command and communication vehicle, ThunderWorks relied heavily on design criteria and guidance from the San Diego and Yuma Sector BORSTAR teams. Lessons learned during real-world operations, including the 2005 hurricane season and the California wildfires, were incorporated into this premiere emergency response vehicle.

“Working with these teams to consensually engineer this platform guarantees that the vehicle will provide a very high level of functionality and flexibility across the wide range of missions that their teams encounter.” says Allen Johnston, Director of Business Development at ThunderWorks.

The vehicle features the ability to access and export AC power, satellite TV, internet, and phone and fax lines to other vehicles or facilities; multiple workstations; redundant methods of communication; and storage for weapons and ammunition.

In addition to bringing the most technologically advanced tools together in one vehicle, the BORSTAR is set apart by its relatively small size, making it ideal for repaid deployment. In fact, it is the first emergency response vehicle of its type compact enough to fit on a C-130 Hercules aircraft.

In addition to size considerations, the BORSTAR van was designed to easily integrate with operations of other divisions and mutual aid agencies.  The nature of the BORSTAR Team’s missions frequently put them at the front line in joint operations with a wide range of agencies.  This vehicle easily enables all teams to bridge together their disparate radios systems and create ad hoc communication networks in the field

Johnston is optimistic that ThunderWorks hit the mark with this premiere emergency response vehicle: “We are very confident that this platform will become an integral and important tool for not only the National BORSTAR Teams but also the agencies that they work with hand in hand.”