Command vehicles (ELW) are a standardized vehicle variant that is primarily used by the police, fire department, other authorities and organizations with security tasks (BOS) as well as aid organizations. They are converted by special vehicle construction measures in accordance with certain specifications and are used, for example, by tactical police or fire department units as a mobile control center for coordinating an operation. The command staff has access to essential equipment for radio communication and equipment for investigating the scene of the operation by means of one or more command vehicles. Command vehicles therefore fulfill an important function in the coordination and execution of operations.
Command vehicles: various sizes & models
There are various models of command vehicles. The specifications and properties are defined in the DIN 14507-2 and DIN 14507-5 standards. According to the regulations, these are divided into different sizes. The first to be mentioned here is the command vehicle 1, which is part of the standard police and fire department fleet. Unlike the smaller command vehicle (KdoW), minibuses are usually used for this type, as they have the necessary dimensions and therefore offer sufficient space and seating for the platoon. The ELW 1 is often used by fire departments as a command vehicle in a firefighting platoon.
Medium-sized and larger operations are coordinated with a command vehicle 2. Command vehicles of this type are smaller trucks or buses, for example, which have a special superstructure and offer space for advanced equipment. Truck superstructures can be equipped with fully-fledged workstations, for example: Separate radio and meeting rooms are a criterion for ELW 2. The radio room must have at least three workstations for remote reporting, while the meeting room must be able to accommodate at least five people. The maximum weight for a special vehicle of this type is 16 tons.
Other command vehicles and command vehicles
In addition to the command vehicles, command vehicles are used for smaller operations in accordance with the standard, which can arrive at the scene particularly quickly. These vehicles are usually converted station wagons or off-road vehicles. There are also other types of command vehicle that are no longer part of the general standard, such as the old command vehicle 3 or platoon vehicles. The latter are used for team transportation by the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief. Today, all command vehicles that are larger than the standards specified for the ELW 2 are referred to as command vehicle 3.
The required technical systems in the command vehicles are implemented as part of the system integration in the respective vehicles. In addition to equipping them with auxiliary equipment, such as radios and other emergency equipment, larger installations are also implemented, such as self-sufficient energy supply options and air conditioning systems. In this way, command vehicles are also becoming increasingly modern and benefit from advances in technology.
