IUK unit's extensive drill featuring ELW Kommern participation in FW Mechernich

News Article: IuK District Unit Trains Command Structure Cooperation in Schleiden

In a significant training exercise held at the Kreisbrandschutzzentrum in Schleiden on July 12, 2025, the IuK district unit collaborated with a local incident command and its command resources. The focus of the exercise was the transition back to a command structure operated by an ELW 1, simulating a real-life scenario in the city of Gemünd.

The scenario depicted severe storm damage and a suspected tornado, with reports of roofs being blown off and partial building collapses in the city center. Deputy district fire chief Wolfgang Fuchs designed a challenging scenario involving unstable weather conditions, thunderstorms, heavy rain, and gusts of wind.

Incident sectors were formed, with one being controlled by the crew of the incident command vehicle of the fire station Kommern, led by Christopherus Wiesen, and supported by Jörg Ernst, Leon Heske, and Dirk Küsters. The participating emergency forces had a lot to do, with the crew of the ELW 1 from the municipality of Blankenheim simulating the local incident command of the city of Schleiden in the damage area.

The exercise simulated the growth of a command structure with multiple incident sectors and the transfer of incident command and situation display to a large area command vehicle. The THW local association Schleiden, led by Björn Groß, set up a holding area and registered fictitiously arriving vehicles and crews.

Inquiries regarding this training exercise should be directed to the Volunteer Fire Department Mechernich, specifically Alexander Kloster at [email protected]. The ELW 2 from Kall, under the direction of Katharina Klinkenberg, ensured operational readiness throughout the exercise.

The findings from the exercise will be incorporated into the future optimization of command support. Deputy district fire chief Wolfgang Fuchs stated that the exercise format has proven itself and is to be repeated in the coming years with changing participants. The subsequent discussion showed that the exercise was a valuable experience for all involved.