Excess FEMA Trailer's for CAP use

[Lancer]

This is a bit of welcomed news...

CAP acquiring more than 70 trailers from FEMA for use by wings, regions

http://www.cap.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=display&nodeID=6192&newsID=2940&year=2007&month=4

[NIN]

30-ish ft vacation-type travel trailer.  Supposedly the directive is "Do not remove the furniture."

So if you use it as a command post, do you conduct all the IC breifings laying down on the queen sized bed?

[DNall]

Indeed welcome news. Very happy to hear it.

I don't know about the "directive," but you can bet your butt we'd mod the hell out of it. Replace teh queen size bed with 4 bunks to start with, and make the main space more usefult to our putposes. I'm glad they have showers, I think I'd probably want make better use of the kitchenette (camp stove stores easier). Hopefully they'll come up with the radios to equip these things too (I think the AF would support that additional purchase if need be).

Sounds great. I hope my wing is moving on it. We could use five (seriously).

[RiverAux]

Ditch all the beds.  You don't need them -- thats what tents are for.  The space will be needed for equipment storage or working area. 

[DNall]

What's a bunk bed if not shelves. You can store equip in there & then off load it on sight or as needed. You're still going to need the tents for the operators, but it'd advisable to hot-rack the command & control staff in shifts. The shower too is a big deal for morale in those kinds of situations. The outside dog shower is nice too. The awning is a plus to toss some chairs & table out there to create some more briefing area w/o getting in the way inside.

[Psicorp]

From what I've been told, these trailers need to be requested.  If your Wing/Group/Squadron doesn't ask for one (or more) from the Ivory Tower, then you might not get it.

[DNall]

Seemed like in reading it the requests (w/ justification) needed to come from Wg/Reg. I know we could sure use one per Gp down here, and sure have the ops to support it. I believe we can also outfit it for dual purpose at recruiting events & the ES side.

[JC004]

Cool stuff.  I am glad to see it.  Someone ought to use them.

[DNall]

hey snap them up fast & see if we can get another 70.

[thefischNX01]

Our squadron was 'offered' one, but the reports I've heard have said they are roach-infested, with animal droppings all over the place.  It would cost a lot to have it cleaned, or if you did it yourself, would still take a lot of time and energy. 

I know our wing took 2 to turn into moble command centers.  Last I heard there are currently 3 left in the wing inventory.   Nobody really wants them...

[DNall]

I just shot off an email to figure out what's going on in our wing. We got a hanger big enough to keep one inside & a van too & not be in the way at all, and we're in mid-rebuild of both our facilities & manning to regional operation base, plus got an ES officer with a generous company heavily involved in aviation, so I think it'd be a nice project for us. I hope they send us one. Free stuff is always good.

[JohnKachenmeister]

Our squadron was 'offered' one, but the reports I've heard have said they are roach-infested, with animal droppings all over the place.  It would cost a lot to have it cleaned, or if you did it yourself, would still take a lot of time and energy. 

I know our wing took 2 to turn into moble command centers.  Last I heard there are currently 3 left in the wing inventory.   Nobody really wants them...

From what I could see in Florida of the FEMA trailer camps, we could support the wing operating budget by declaring excess [redacted] in the trailers to be surplus to the inventory and selling it through the DRMO.


Admin Edit --MK

[thefischNX01]

From what I could see in Florida of the FEMA trailer camps, we could support the wing operating budget by declaring the excess cocaine in the trailers to be surplus to the inventory and selling it through the DRMO.

I see a squadron fundraising activity

[floridacyclist]

Ditch all the beds.  You don't need them -- thats what tents are for.  The space will be needed for equipment storage or working area. 

Tents don't work too well right after a hurricane. Too much mud and debris around, plus the weather can still be pretty nasty for a few days afterward.

[Lancer]

I just shot off an email to figure out what's going on in our wing. We got a hanger big enough to keep one inside & a van too & not be in the way at all, and we're in mid-rebuild of both our facilities & manning to regional operation base, plus got an ES officer with a generous company heavily involved in aviation, so I think it'd be a nice project for us. I hope they send us one. Free stuff is always good.

Send? Ha. Didn't you read the terms and conditions? You have to call Maxwell and make arrangements to go and get what your taking, and you have to do it by May 15th.

MIWG is looking at getting a couple from what I've been told. We've got one trailer in all of Michigan right now. Which we used to simply call the Comm. Trailer. But now it's officially know as the MICP (Mobile Incident Command Post). 

[RiverAux]

Tents don't work too well right after a hurricane. Too much mud and debris around, plus the weather can still be pretty nasty for a few days afterward.

Uhh, that may be true, but where do you think all the other CAP members are going to be sleeping if not in tents or other makeshift quarters?  The trailers are supposedly mobile command centers, and I assume they'll be commanding more people than can sleep in the trailer. 

[Nick]

MIWG is looking at getting a couple from what I've been told. We've got one trailer in all of Michigan right now. Which we used to simply call the Comm. Trailer. But now it's officially know as the MICP (Mobile Incident Command Post). 

Oh dear. Don't let the NIMS-Nazis know about that ... they are Mobile Communications Centers (MCC's) (or, if you're FEMA, Mobile Emergency Operations Centers (MEOC's)) this month.

[DNall]

Send? Ha. Didn't you read the terms and conditions? You have to call Maxwell and make arrangements to go and get what your taking, and you have to do it by May 15th.

Was checking with Wg ES to see what we'd requested. I'm not jumping my chain to ask for one myself, which wouldn't get approved anyway.

This has been in the works for a while now & talked about a few months back, it was a bit of a suprise that it happen all of a sudden with no notice, but I'm not complaining at all. Hopefully they'll get them assigned right instead of just fast. It'd suck to get it home & start fixing it up then have it up & moved on you.

[Major Carrales]

Having mobile "command posts," in the style of M*A*S*H units (although no hospitals) is a very worthy idea. 

Such a command post could be stationed in a Hurricane zone after an event near an other wise destroyed airport (still functional runway) and, if outfitted with COMM and other equipment, could be the an IC's dream.  Instant FBO...Instant COMM station...instant Mission Base.

I see it as a boon to CAP, both the air and ground side.

[RiverAux]

I'm not quite as hopeful.  There has been a long history of various squadrons and wings setting up mobile command posts in vans or other vehicles, but for some reason they don't seem to "stick".  It could be that most of the time most Wings don't have real use for them except every 5-10 years.  I'm not saying that they couldn't be useful in certain standard missions in areas lacking radio repeater coverage, but the test of time seems to have passed a judgement on the concept. 

[Nick]

I'm not quite as hopeful.  There has been a long history of various squadrons and wings setting up mobile command posts in vans or other vehicles, but for some reason they don't seem to "stick".  It could be that most of the time most Wings don't have real use for them except every 5-10 years.  I'm not saying that they couldn't be useful in certain standard missions in areas lacking radio repeater coverage, but the test of time seems to have passed a judgement on the concept. 

There's a way to fix that.  I've worked in some jurisdictions that do full ICS and EOC activations for planned events for the sole purpose of turning the system on and seeing if the gears work.  So, if your wing has a consolidated SAREX -- that's where you run incident command.  If you have a wing conference -- instead of getting the deluxe suite to run your "conference command post", use the trailer in the parking lot.  It might not be as cushy, but if you want to justify having the thing for the once in ten years you're going to use it, then -- you need to use it.

[Galahad]

Reading the terms and conditions, I wonder how many wings have a PU truck available that has a class-IV hitch with electric brake controller, leveling bars, and the PU is OEM-rated for towing 10,000 lb trailers?  That's getting close to gooseneck hitch territory.  Liability insurance is derived from the owner of the tow vehicle.  I guess that's OK if it's a CAP corporate PU, but not so good if you're using your own rig to help out the wing.

The T&C's also state "Brakes on these trailers have not been inspected. Brakes not working properly will need to be repaired at unit expense prior to departure."   Business could be brisk at the local U-haul store near Maxwell.

[RiverAux]

Now THAT could be a major problem.  I've never seen or heard of a CAP pickup truck.  I have seen a few big SUVs. 

[DNall]

There's a way to fix that.  I've worked in some jurisdictions that do full ICS and EOC activations for planned events for the sole purpose of turning the system on and seeing if the gears work.  So, if your wing has a consolidated SAREX -- that's where you run incident command.  If you have a wing conference -- instead of getting the deluxe suite to run your "conference command post", use the trailer in the parking lot.  It might not be as cushy, but if you want to justify having the thing for the once in ten years you're going to use it, then -- you need to use it.

That's certainly true, but I don't think these things are highly useful for mobile mission bases. The full on mission base is going to have some decent infrastructure already in place. That means they should already have a VHF at least & probably an HF radio. A couple more radios can be strung up if needed.

Where I'd primarily wna to use these trailer MCCs is in that FOB role. You have to have your own command & control anyway. The Katrina after action showed that, NIMS says so in the typing guide... lean forward with me on this. I think the place to put this thing (with sat-wifi, comms, planning/conf area, some bunks & shower) is right in the FOB next to the 6-12 GTs in thier tents. Slide out the awning, set up a table & some chairs, bust out the laptop, now you're sharing SDIS & ARCHER take with the couty emergency mgr that's getting his first real look at his jurisdiction. That's engaged & mission generating helping the responders on the gtound that need what we can provide. Plus of course bringing down all that intel to brief your GTs before they go out & debrief them when they come in (hopefully they're taking pix also that can be emailed out at the end of the day with captions & such.

[DNall]

Now THAT could be a major problem.  I've never seen or heard of a CAP pickup truck.  I have seen a few big SUVs. 

There's some suburbans & what not that can do it, but would need some towing heavy package mods. It's mostly going to be member owned movement.

[SarDragon]

Now THAT could be a major problem.  I've never seen or heard of a CAP pickup truck.  I have seen a few big SUVs. 

CAWG has one for glider ops. I think it's a crew cab.

[mikeylikey]

I am shocked no one else her saw the Dateline NBC segment on these trailers!  The quick and simple of the story, which I will try to find online and post is that most of the 2005/06 trailers have wood products that were treated with formaldehyde and exceeds the national standard for safety.  It actually exceeds the legal limit in California, and California lists them on the "deadly cancer causing lists".  You will either need to get rid of the wood inside these trailers or wear masks!.  They also stink!

[Al Sayre]

Now THAT could be a major problem.  I've never seen or heard of a CAP pickup truck.  I have seen a few big SUVs. 

CAWG has one for glider ops. I think it's a crew cab.

MSWG has a Crew Cab Chevy pick-up also.

[JohnKachenmeister]

I am shocked no one else her saw the Dateline NBC segment on these trailers!  The quick and simple of the story, which I will try to find online and post is that most of the 2005/06 trailers have wood products that were treated with formaldehyde and exceeds the national standard for safety.  It actually exceeds the legal limit in California, and California lists them on the "deadly cancer causing lists".  You will either need to get rid of the wood inside these trailers or wear masks!.  They also stink!

"Dateline NBC?"  Aren't they the one's who put bombs in cars to make sure the gas tanks exploded on cue?  Sorry, but NBC, CBS, ABC, and the New York Times are just simply not credible sources of information anymore.

[Johnny Yuma]

Now THAT could be a major problem.  I've never seen or heard of a CAP pickup truck.  I have seen a few big SUVs. 

KSWG has a 2006 F250 4WD crew cab and tow package. Your wing's gotta ask for it in order to get it, friends.

[Johnny Yuma]

I am shocked no one else her saw the Dateline NBC segment on these trailers!  The quick and simple of the story, which I will try to find online and post is that most of the 2005/06 trailers have wood products that were treated with formaldehyde and exceeds the national standard for safety.  It actually exceeds the legal limit in California, and California lists them on the "deadly cancer causing lists".  You will either need to get rid of the wood inside these trailers or wear masks!.  They also stink!

Dateline NBC is about as reliable a source of news as the National Enquirer and California believes everything causes cancer.

I've yet to see a trailer that's sat for 18 months that didn't stink.

[mikeylikey]

A yahoo search gives a few articles on the FEMA trailers.  here it is
http://search.yahoo.com/search?&ei=UTF-8&p=formaldehyde+fema+trailers

also, a comical story about the trailers here
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/693438/fema_painting_stove_knobs_red_in_trailers/index.html?source=r_science



So now NBC news is not credible?  Might as well rack them up next to News of the Force I guess.

[DNall]

So every one of the dif manufactures listed all provided treated wood for use in these that's beyond safe limits? I mean I can understand one bad batch going to one manufacture, but there's a bunch listed with many dif suppliers. That's just not legitimately possible.

I'd also tell you that while some trailers were poorly stored & maintained, that isn't all of them. You don't know what you're getting till you get there & don't know what you're going to do with it till you get it back & take a hard look at it.

Also, GSA has taken these over & is redistributing them. They're pretty on the ball about govt liability.

I'd be careful about tossing around accusations when you really don't know the facts yet. You should really wait till you can assess things for yourself.

[JC004]

It actually exceeds the legal limit in California, and California lists them on the "deadly cancer causing lists".

Everything causes cancer to the state of CA.  Says so on a lot of product labels.  Luckily I don't live there, so I won't get the cancer from using the product.   

[floridacyclist]

Where I'd primarily wna to use these trailer MCCs is in that FOB role. You have to have your own command & control anyway. The Katrina after action showed that, NIMS says so in the typing guide... lean forward with me on this. I think the place to put this thing (with sat-wifi, comms, planning/conf area, some bunks & shower) is right in the FOB next to the 6-12 GTs in thier tents. Slide out the awning, set up a table & some chairs, bust out the laptop, now you're sharing SDIS & ARCHER take with the couty emergency mgr that's getting his first real look at his jurisdiction. That's engaged & mission generating helping the responders on the gtound that need what we can provide. Plus of course bringing down all that intel to brief your GTs before they go out & debrief them when they come in (hopefully they're taking pix also that can be emailed out at the end of the day with captions & such.

Florida calls that the FCT - the Forward Control Team. basically a Forward Air Controller without the ability to call in airstrikes. Until conditions improve enough to allow tents, the RECON teams end up sleeping in shelters or L' Hotel De Chevrolet (or Ford as the case may be) or ideally a local member's house if any are available.

On towing a trailer, I've seen ratings from 7,300lbs to 10,000 for our basic cadet-haulers

http://www.intellichoice.com/reports/vehicleReport/vehicle_nmb/15255/section/specs/type/used/year/2005/make/Ford/model/E350

[Cmdbuddy]

In case some of you didn't realize this, these trailers have had large families living in them for over a year and a half.

I'm from New Orleans so I can speak on some authority to this. 

They are nasty.  Really nasty.  Anybody living in that small of a space for that long will make it gross.  They've sat out in the elements for this long, probably leaked and everything, as well.  A lot of them had many workers living in them at a time.  I've been inside of one (a family member, who kept it nice) and they are EXTREMELY small.  I mean, in order to walk by someone, someone has to sit down so the other can pass. 

I wouldn't take one even if someone paid me to. 

[Lancer]

In case some of you didn't realize this, these trailers have had large families living in them for over a year and a half.

I'm from New Orleans so I can speak on some authority to this. 

They are nasty.  Really nasty.  Anybody living in that small of a space for that long will make it gross.  They've sat out in the elements for this long, probably leaked and everything, as well.  A lot of them had many workers living in them at a time.  I've been inside of one (a family member, who kept it nice) and they are EXTREMELY small.  I mean, in order to walk by someone, someone has to sit down so the other can pass. 

I wouldn't take one even if someone paid me to. 

If that's the case then why does it say...

Many of the trailers, originally bought for hurricane victims to live in until their homes could be repaired and reoccupied, are in brand new or excellent condition.

on the main information page.

You have to remember A LOT of the trailers went undistributed and unoccupied.
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/331403,3_1_EL07_A3HABITAT_S1.article

I for one would be pretty upset if I drove all that way to pick one up and found out it was worthless.

[bosshawk]

As Cmdbuddy says: caveat emptor!!!!  Be careful of what you lust for: it might not be exactly what you think it is.

[flyguy06]

Now THAT could be a major problem.  I've never seen or heard of a CAP pickup truck.  I have seen a few big SUVs. 

we have CAP Pick up trucks with cabs on them here in GA

[NIN]

Many years back, we had a guy in MI Wing (Joe somebody or other.. comm geek) who had one of those huge motorhomes (coverted bus). He was a major amateur radio guy, so he had antennas, generators, etc, etc.

So he says "Hey, for the SAREX up at Mt. Pleasant, can I bring the motorhome to act as the comm shack?" 

"SURE!" sez the IC.

So he brings this huge thing up and it gets parked on the tarmac outside the terminal building at the airport. It winds up getting used as a serious communications "hub": packet, telephone, radio, satellite TV (weather, etc), that kind of thing.  There are network wires running inside the terminal building, phone lines, we're on shore power with this thing, etc.

So one of the AF evaluators, who laughed at the thing the whole time ("oh, geez, what are you gonna do with that whale?"), walks over at one point and yanks the shore power connector out of the outlet its plugged into.  A half dozen UPS units start chirping inside, and Joe comes running out to check the shore power. The evaluator is standing there with the shore power plug in his hand and says "POWER FAILURE!"

Joe turns around, opens the side panel on the bus, slides the 5Kw generator set out on rails, pushes the "ON" switch, waits about 20 seconds, flips the switch from "Shore" to "Generator" and runs back inside.

The comm shack was off the air for less than a minute.

The evaluator stopped laughing.

[DNall]

^Exactly. That's what we need to build right there. Thats' the concept we talked months back. That conversation was all about a unbit for disaster swith no/low infrastructure. One of the features discussed was sat internet from which to run both wifi & net based phone service, and of course getting data down from SDIS & ARCHER to that FOB location where you're standing with the customer providing real-time intel.

[Major_Chuck]

This is good and bad.  I've seen the row upon row of FEMA trailers at Fort Pickett and talked with a few people that have actually been inside them.  Some are in good shape, others not.  It all depends on who occupied them, how long, and how long they've sat unused.

VA Wing has two crew cab pickups.   One purchased to support the glider program, the other the Comm Program.

Several units that I know of have fielded communications vans and trailers.  They don't seem to last too long.  Either the member that owns the equipment quits or interest dies off.  They cost money to operate and maintain.

Sort of like a Trojan Horse.  You don't know what is inside.

[RogueLeader]

It would be good to get one for mobile comm station.  Even get a generator for it so it's a M*R*O*P
Mobile Radio Operations Platform
<M*A*S*H theme in background>

[mikeylikey]

I hate it when I am right (for all you who said I was throwing around non-credible nonesense in this thread earlier).  NHQ just followed FEMA advice and has put out a new Interim Change Letter regarding these trailers.  Overnight stays inside the trailers are no longer allowed!

here is the letter for you to read --->  http://level2.cap.gov/documents/2008_02_16_CAP_Trailer_Precautions.pdf

[JohnKachenmeister]

I thought we only wanted them as offices, anyway.

[Al Sayre]

Can't stay overnight, but I guess it's ok to sit in there and run a mission/exercise what ever all day...

[PHall]

So you can't sleep in them for 8 hours but it's alright to spend up to 20 hours a day working out of one?
I know there's some logic out there somewhere, but I'm just not seeing it.

[♠SARKID♠]

Wow, glad we made our MCC out of a Winnebago.

[JohnKachenmeister]

So you can't sleep in them for 8 hours but it's alright to spend up to 20 hours a day working out of one?
I know there's some logic out there somewhere, but I'm just not seeing it.

I asked that question of one of our members who owns an Environmental Service company.  He told me that formaldehyde is not all that dangerous, and if the trailer is vented, there should be no problem at all.  Using it as a HQ means that the door will be constantly opening, windows open, etc, which will vent the trailer more than sleeping for several hours straight while "Buttoned up."

He laughed when he read the letter, and said if formaldehyde was that dangerous, every rat-dissecting high school biology student would be dead by now.

[jimmydeanno]

So you can't sleep in them for 8 hours but it's alright to spend up to 20 hours a day working out of one?
I know there's some logic out there somewhere, but I'm just not seeing it.

I asked that question of one of our members who owns an Environmental Service company.  He told me that formaldehyde is not all that dangerous, and if the trailer is vented, there should be no problem at all.  Using it as a HQ means that the door will be constantly opening, windows open, etc, which will vent the trailer more than sleeping for several hours straight while "Buttoned up."

He laughed when he read the letter, and said if formaldehyde was that dangerous, every rat-dissecting high school biology student would be dead by now.

My grandfather laughed when people told him smoking would give him lung cancer.  He was right, it only gave him emphysema...

[SarDragon]

From Wikipedia (with footnotes):

Safety
Occupational exposure to formaldehyde by inhalation is mainly from three types of sources: thermal or chemical decomposition of formaldehyde-based resins, formaldehyde emission from aqueous solutions (for example, embalming fluids), and the production of formaldehyde resulting from the combustion of a variety of organic compounds (for example, exhaust gases). Formaldehyde can be toxic, allergenic, and carcinogenic.[7] Because formaldehyde resins are used in many construction materials, formaldehyde is one of the more common indoor air pollutants.[8] At concentrations above 0.1 ppm in air, formaldehyde can irritate the eyes and mucous membranes, resulting in watery eyes. If inhaled, formaldehyde at this concentration may cause headaches, a burning sensation in the throat, and difficulty breathing, as well as triggering or aggravating asthma symptoms.[9]

Formaldehyde is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which provides sufficient evidence that formaldehyde causes nasopharyngeal cancer in humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.[10] The United States Environmental Protection Agency USEPA allows no more than 0.016 ppm formaldehyde in the air in new buildings constructed for that agency.[11]

Formaldehyde can cause allergies, and is part of the standard patch test series. People with formaldehyde allergy are advised to avoid formaldehyde releasers as well (e.g., Quaternium-15, imidazolidinyl urea, and diazolidinyl urea).[12] Formaldehyde has been banned in cosmetics in both Sweden and Japan.


Toxic FEMA Trailer lawsuits
Toxic levels of Formaldehyde were found in millions of FEMA trailers given out to Hurricane Katrina victims.[13] As a result of the toxic gas exposure, lawsuits are being filed against FEMA.[14] Formaldehyde exposure can cause burning eyes and/or nose, coughing, difficulty breathing, and is shown to be carcinogenic - causing nasal and nasopharyngeal cancer, and possibly leukemia as well.[15] More than two years after residents of FEMA trailers deployed along the Mississippi Gulf Coast began complaining of breathing difficulties, nosebleeds and persistent headaches, U.S. health officials announced Thursday, February 14, 2008 that long-awaited government tests found potentially hazardous levels of toxic formaldehyde gas in both travel trailers and mobile homes provided by the agency.[16] The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which requested the testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said it would work aggressively to relocate all residents of the temporary housing as soon as possible. Levels of formaldehyde gas in 519 trailer and mobile homes tested in Louisiana and Mississippi were — on average — about five times what people are exposed to in most modern homes, the CDC reported. In some trailers, the levels were nearly 40 times customary exposure levels, raising fears that residents could suffer respiratory problems and potentially other long-term health effects, it said.

9. Symptoms of Low-Level Formaldehyde Exposures, Health Canada, http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/environ/formaldehyde_e.html
10.  http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol88/volume88.pdf "Formaldehyde".
11. Testing for Indoor Air Quality, Baseline IAQ, and Materials, http://www.epa.gov/rtp/new-bldg/environmental/s_01445.htm
12. Allergy to formaldehyde at DermNetNZ, http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/formaldehyde-allergy.html
13. Are FEMA trailers 'toxic tin cans'?, Mike Brunker, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14011193/from/ET/#storyContinued
14. Toxic FEMA Trailer Lawsuit Formaldehyde Lawyers, http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/toxic_fema_trailers
15. Formaldehyde and Cancer, http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/formaldehyde
16. http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehhe/trailerstudy/pdfs/SummaryofStudyFindings.pdf

Linky - MIKE

[Eclipse]

Not to be a FEMA apologist, but they didn't actually manufacture the trailers.

In any other situation the manufacturer would be liable, but we, as tax payers, have the deep pockets.

[SSgt Rudin]

I'll take 4, a cutting torch and a welder, hello new squadron building.

[Al Sayre]

Seems to me a lot of the formaldahyde problems would be solved by simply putting an exhaust fan on the roof to ensure that the fumes can't build up to toxic levels, but I'm just an engineer, what do I know...  "Dilution is the solution"

[Short Field]

Strange it is just the FEMA trailiers - and not the same model of trailer the RV dealers have been selling for ages.

In fairness to the warning - I heard there were some trailers that FEMA bought that had been "custom" built for them.  The mods seem to be mainly replacing typical RV amenities with less expensive options - like smaller windows. 

HOWEVER, the trailer I picked up for the wing had never been used and was a very nice standard RV model.    

[mikeylikey]

UPDATE!

https://www.capnhq.gov/news/news24Jul08.htm

New testing procedures, and notice to post results of such test.  Hurry, testing will only be paid by NHQ until SEPTEMBER 2008!!