Fleet Customer Spotlight: Austin Disaster Relief Network

In today's Customer Spotlight, we are highlighting Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN).

Tell us about your company. What do you do/specialize in? What is your role?

Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization comprised of nearly 200 Greater Austin churches and thousands of trained volunteers whose primary goal is to serve Jesus Christ by assisting families affected by a disaster.

ADRN provides survivors with immediate financial assistance, emergency housing, transportation, and emotional and spiritual care. They also connect families with vital resources to rebuild their lives and homes.

Business partners, local agencies, and the community play a vital role in ADRN’s mission. Through the generosity of in-kind donations, monetary gifts, and volunteer assistance, ADRN funds the rebuilding and repairing of survivor homes and provides immediate assistance to those in crisis.

"As Logistics Section Chief, I (Nathan Exley) manage the vehicles, trailers, and other disaster response equipment and logistics during deployment. My job is to ensure our fleet of trucks, Command Trailer, Operations Trailer, Communication Trailer, and other equipment is constituted, operable, safe, and prepared for the next disaster.

During disaster deployments, communication is vital and must be readily and safely available in our fleet of vehicles. Bulletpoint Mounting Solutions makes that possible."

"Tim Dale, our Field Operations Director, is often the man behind the wheel in the field during our disaster response. After a disaster strikes, who knows what kind of terrain our teams may encounter or what obstacles they may need to navigate to get to the people who need help. He and his teams need reliable hands-free access to their technology so they can focus on the urgent tasks at hand."

What’s the make and model of your fleet vehicles? How many cars do you have?

"Since we are a nonprofit, 60% of our fleet consists of a mix of donated vehicles. Of the six vehicles we have, two are Ford F-250s, one is an F-750 Box Truck, two are Dodge RAMs (3500 and 1500), and one is a Toyota Tundra. One of the reasons we like Bulletpoint Mounting Solutions is that their mounts fit in all our vehicles."

How are your vehicles used in the day-to-day operations of your business?

"When ADRN is not responding to a disaster, we use our vehicles to transport resources between warehouses and events. We also use them to move inventory and transport donated goods for our sister company, Hope Family Thrift Store."

"Immediately following a disaster and when safe to drive through the area, we conduct damage assessments to evaluate the levels of damage. This could involve off-road driving on rough terrain.

We also use our vehicles to pull command and communications trailers and deliver supplies and volunteers to disaster sites.

For example, our trucks had to brave snow and ice during the 2021 Winter Storm that incapacitated much of Texas when much of the power and cellular grids went offline. ADRN used its vehicles to truck pallets of clean water and hygiene kits to distribution centers.

In the March of 2022, we delivered hygiene kits and emergency supplies to areas impacted by the Eastland Complex Fires west of Dallas.

The Bulletpoint Mounting Solutions, specifically its three-armed electronics mount, gives our drivers multiple communication layers. They also allow us to take photos of the damage in an area and communicate our findings with ADRN’s emergency operations center."

What made you seek out a device mount for your vehicles?

"Disasters are messy, chaotic, and traumatic. We needed a no-fuss electronic mounting solution that allows our drivers to focus on driving without juggling navigation, the radio, and backup communication devices. We also needed a mounting solution that passengers could use from their side of the vehicle."

Why did you choose Bulletpoint Mounting Solutions?

"Most commonly available mounts don’t last as long as we need them, can’t handle the rougher terrain that ADRN encounters when we respond to disasters, and can’t withstand normal vibrations.

We reached out to Bulletpoint Mounting Solutions to test some of their mounts, and the company generously donated what we needed. We installed a three-device mount in two of our vehicles and determined that Bulletpoint was what we needed in the rest of our fleet. The mounts are stable and capable of holding a variety of devices in our diverse fleet, and being able to customize these mounts specifically to our vehicles was a bonus."

How does the Bulletpoint mount help with the operations of your business? What devices are being mounted?

"Our vehicle fleet primarily mounts ham radios, cell phones, and iPads. Our Bulletpoint mounts maintain a hands-free safety condition in our vehicles. That’s the most important. I can’t overstate how much safety is compromised when devices fall out of their mounts. We drive in adverse road conditions. When a device falls out of its mount and under the driving pedals, it’s not only inconvenient and distracting - it impedes braking.

Our staple communication setup on these mounts is two cell phones (one on the driver’s side and one on the passenger’s side) and a handheld radio in the middle for vehicle-to-vehicle communication."

Thank You ADRN!

We wanted to thank Nathan, Tim, Kat and the entire team at ADRN for their time as well as their selfless dedication and commitment to helping those in desperate need.

We are truly honored to play a role in making their disaster relief efforts that much safer.

If you have a fleet or have any questions about our products, we'd be happy to discuss options to get your vehicles equipped with Bulletpoint mounts.

Browse by Vehicle