ELW for Copt Hewick fire brigade

[playmofire]

As some of you know, Copt Hewick Volunteer Fire Brigade is modelled on a German fire brigade.  An ELW is an EinsatzLeitungWagen, which roughly translates as an emergency lead(er) vehicle.  As "eitung" can mean either "lead" or "leader", I'm not 100% certain of the role of the vehicle.  It could be the vehicle used by the officer-in-charge attending an incident (in other words, a form of command and control unit), or it could be a vehicle used as a "traffic breaker", preceding the main fire engines and alerting traffic to their coming.  Possibly, it is both.  Maybe Little Jo or another German member can clarify things.

The ELW is based on an old Playmobil Jeep, with the chassis sprayed white for higher visibility.  A hood (ragtop) from the latest release of the old-style has been added (it requires a little modification to fit) and also the new windscreen (needed for the new hood) and new bumpers (fenders) which were missing from the Jeep.  It was only when I came to fit the new bumpers after the painting that I found that the design had altered and so some careful work was needed to alter the bumpers and the size of the holes they fit into.  On later Jeep customs, I'll do this BEFORE the painting.

The red item on the front is not a siren but a loudspeaker.  I'm considering shortening it at the back so it fits more neatly and is more realistic.

[playmofire]

The equipment carried by the real-life ELW is:

2 fire extinguishers

Radio equipment

2 first aid boxes - a general one and a burns one

Maps and plans

Traffic control equipment

2 BA (breathing apparatus) sets

I've managed to duplicate this with the exception that there is one dual-purpose first aid case and only one BA set as a second cannot be fitted in neatly.  I've also added two torches and two handlamps.

[Knightmo]

Neat.

[CountBogro]

Coool !
Considering the equipment it's carrying, I do think it does indeed carry the leader AND does he double up as a traffic-breaker, Playmofire.

But it is a need vehicle.

Bogro

[Tim_w]

Hello  Gordon 

Your custom's never fail to amaze me, like your photo storys the attention to detail is allways first class. I cant wait to see your next project !! Have you got any pictures of the whole fleet together ?

Kindest regards  Tim 

[Little Jo]

Great, Gordon. Again a very nice setup you made. I especially like the details and how well the guys are equiped. And I really like your scenery, which matches perfectly to the simplicity and abstraction of Playmobil. I really must setup such a landscape too.

I'm not that familiar with German fire brigades, but fortunately there is an article at wikipedia about the ELW (in German only), so I can clarify/add a little bit.

ELW stands for Einsatzleitwagen (I would translate it leader vehicle, but me English is not the best, so maybe there is a special term).
According to the wikipedia description it's a vehicle of the authorities and organizations with security tasks which is used for leadership or coordination of tactical units.

Typically the crew are two people:

• driver (machine operator) and
• (group) leader.

But according to regulations and norm the crew is staffed with four people:

• driver (machine operator)
• radio operator
• group leader (for special order)
• platoon-leader

[playmofire]

Thank you all for your kind comments; it's obviously fun making such customs, but it's also good to know that other people enjoy them, too.

Thank you Bogro and Jochen for your additional information.  I think the differences in crewing referred to in Wikipedia may be because there are different sizes of ELWs.  At very major fires a bigger one will be sent which will have a large crew to man it.

I hope, Tim, to take a group photo of the brigade shortly, but I have another pump to complete and a rescue/emergency tender.

Jochen, I will start a thread in the How To forum giving details of the scenery.

And now, for everyone, here are two photos of the ELW with some revisions to it.  I found a different way of attaching the blue light (just put the three-way fort connector on at a different angle) which looked better and so decided to go for two blue lights.  I moved the aerial to the rear as it nicely fits in to what is meant to be the fuel filler (which Outback tells me the Jeep never had in real life).  I've also cut down the loudspeaker so it reflects the type used in real life and attached it direct to the bumper.

[Jimbo]

Very well done, Playmofire.  Your attention to detail is awesome!

Jimbo

[Outback]

Very cool custom Gordon. I like it alot. Especially the dual lights.

I will have to post this one on my friends customs page when I get some time to do so.

Cheers!

[playmofire]

Very cool custom Gordon. I like it alot. Especially the dual lights.

I will have to post this one on my friends customs page when I get some time to do so.

Cheers!

Be my guest, Dunc, glad you like it.