PHOTOS: City of Rancho Mirage, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Tout New Emergency Response Trailer

Officials with the City of Rancho Mirage and Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians unveiled a new emergency response equipment truck-and-trailer combo Wednesday Oct. 16 at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage.

"The Community Emergency Response Team truck and trailer is equipped with supplies to support emergency training to firefighters in high-rise firefighting techniques and to train and equip hotel and casino staff members as Community Emergency Response Teams," city and tribal reps said in a statement.

Funding for the new truck and trailer, as well as training, came from a Special Indian Gaming Grant awarded to Rancho Mirage, city and tribal reps said. The grant is a result of Senate Bill 856, which provides funding to mitigate impacts to local communities. The funds were awarded to the City of Rancho Mirage by the Riverside County Indian Gaming Local Benefit Committee.

"The $291,500 grant was used to purchase the public safety equipment and to provide emergency response team training," city and tribal reps said. "It’s all in an effort to ensure an effective and coordinated response to disasters or emergencies at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa."

The Community Emergency Response Team trailer is 24 feet long, and it's hauled by a 2012 Ford F-450 pickup. Fire safety and emergency preparedness features include evacuation chairs to move people safely and easily down stairs, a live fire extinguisher training unit, rapid-response triage kits, and three high-band portable base station radios for improved communications during an emergency, city and tribal reps said.

The site-specific Community Emergency Response Team project is sponsored by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, in partnership with the City of Rancho Mirage and CalFire/Riverside County Fire Department, which provides fire and medical services in Rancho Mirage.

The implementation of the grant allows Rancho Mirage officials and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians to coordinate public safety services "at a landmark property at the gateway to Rancho Mirage," city and tribal reps said.