Schönebeck/SLK. A new CBRN reconnaissance vehicle for civil protection and disaster management has arrived in the Salzlandkreis and is stationed at the Bad Salzelmen district fire station. The new-generation vehicle, owned by the federal government and valued at around 311,000 euros, replaces the ageing predecessor model that has been in service since 2002. The federal government bears all costs for the civil protection vehicle and makes it available to the district for use within the disaster response system by the ABC specialist unit. The Salzlandkreis is responsible for the vehicle’s administration, repairs and replacement procurement, including cost reimbursement. The town of Schönebeck, together with the Bad Salzelmen district fire brigade, operates the reconnaissance vehicle on behalf of both the federal government and the Salzlandkreis, ensuring it is kept operational with trained personnel so that it can be deployed when required.
District Administrator Markus Bauer, District Fire Chief Tobias Schumann and Schönebeck's Lord Mayor Bert Knoblauch were able to see the vehicle's wide-ranging emergency response capabilities for themselves: CBRN stands for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear hazards. The new, all-terrain, specialised vehicle is used for rapid situational awareness, enables data exchange for situational awareness and thus creates a sound basis for decision-making for the incident command. Last but not least, it also offers the crew improved protection.
"We are strengthening our operational readiness in this area. The capability for specialised hazard reconnaissance in disaster control is being further expanded. This gives us all more security and we are grateful to the federal government for this," emphasises District Administrator Markus Bauer. "After all, successful civil protection requires not only commitment and cooperation, but also good equipment. The new vehicle will help us to protect the people of the region even more safely, efficiently and comprehensively."
Bert Knoblauch, Mayor of Schönebeck, says: "Following the commissioning of a new HLF20 in 2020, this vehicle now completes the modern fleet of the district fire brigade. It fits perfectly into the vehicle concept jointly developed by the firefighters of all the fire brigades in the urban area. This vehicle increases the operational capabilities of the 40-strong fire brigade, which responds to around 100 incidents a year. This is outstanding voluntary work. Bad Salzelmen also has a youth brigade with 16 young people, so it is also an investment in the future."
In order to familiarise themselves with the new deployment options of the CBRN reconnaissance vehicle, its technical equipment and its handling, two comrades from the Bad Salzelmen local fire brigade completed a seminar lasting several days at the Federal Academy for Civil Protection and Civil Defence at the end of January. The following day, they were able to take over the emergency vehicle for the Salzland district from the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) and bring it to Schönebeck. From there, it is now available to the civil defence and disaster control services of the population.
Equipped with modern measurement and detection technology, it enables the detection, measurement, documentation and reporting of NBC hazardous substances. In addition to special measurement technology for chemical and radiological hazards, the vehicle has extensive equipment for sampling air, water, soil and surfaces as well as protection technology for the deployed forces. The data collected can be transmitted digitally to command centres for an up-to-date situation report.
The vehicle's main tasks include reconnaissance of contaminated areas, metrological monitoring and support in the event of major incidents involving hazardous substances. Thanks to the mobile measurement capability, sometimes even while travelling, a hazardous area can be quickly localised and assessed in order to initiate suitable protective measures for the population and emergency services.
The BBK intends to distribute a total of more than 500 vehicles of the new CBRN reconnaissance vehicles for the federal disaster control in civil defence to the federal states throughout Germany in accordance with the equipment concept, for fast and effective situation reconnaissance. The central aim is to be able to quickly alert a CBRN reconnaissance vehicle at any location in Germany to a possible scene of damage.