IN PICTURES – The new “ultra modern” command truck for the Drôme and Ardèche firefighters

On the roof of this rather unusual fire truck: a very large antenna that goes up to a dozen meters and inside, touch screens of all sizes. The departmental fire and rescue services (SDIS) 26 and 07 presented, Thursday evening, at the Valence barracks, a new site command post (CP)one of the highest level tools for organizing large-scale relief operations. Drôme and Ardèche have chosen to pool its acquisition.

The SDIS of Drôme, like that of Ardèche, has already three PCs available on its territory. But these are column PCs, the lower level than site PCs. This truck is much bigger and it allows interventions of another dimension. For example, it could have been used for the fire at AlloPneus in Valencia in 2018THE Romeyer fires in Drôme and South Ardèche in 2022or the floods in North Ardèche last October.

A truck worthy of those seen in the series

There can now be six fire officers in this truck (compared to three in a column PC) to supervise operations: a “medium” officer, an “intelligence” officer but also an “action” officer, an “anticipation” officer, as well as a PC chief and a COS (rescue operations commander).

“Two long years were necessary to achieve this ultra-modern result which brings a lot of added value”declares Lieutenant-Colonel Nicolas Ribes, head of the SDIS 26 operational group. The design of this site PC project in Drôme and Ardèche was led by Colonel Nicolas Héritier, responsible for operational transmissions.

Several touch screens, inside and outside the truck, allow you to click on the maps and see, in real time, images transmitted by drone or even helicopter. Thanks to multi-operator wifi and 4G coverage, PC officers can communicate, without worry, with firefighters on the ground and pass this same information on to state services if necessary. If this network fails, there is a dish on the vehicle to receive a satellite connection. One side of the truck can be transformed into a new space, to communicate with teams face-to-face or welcome the press.

“I’m a fan”

Chief Warrant Officer Fabien Richaud, volunteer firefighter in Étoile-sur-Rhône, has been testing this site PC for two months: “It’s a great tool, I'm a fan, I love it. Having this tool in our barracks is indeed added value.” Close to the river, the Étoile-sur-Rhône barracks welcome the vehicle to intervene in all of the two departments of Drôme and Ardèche. “An honor and a challenge”for center head Lieutenant Jean-Paul Duchemann.

SDIS 26 and 07 chose to pool the purchase of this innovative truck, particularly for a question of budget: it costs 563.000 euros. The two Departments shared its cost equally. “We have moved to an important command post, but for very large-scale phenomenaassumes Marie-Pierre Mouton, president of the Departmental Council and SDIS of Drôme. Unfortunately, with global warming, we see that this is happening very suddenly. Floods in Ardèche [par exemple] intervened very quickly. You have to be responsive. Our firefighters know how to do it. Now having a command post to direct operations in the best possible way was essential.”

Global warming

Next step for the Drôme and Ardèche firefighters: the acquisition, within one to two years, ofan inter-service reception unit. Similar to a converted dumpster, it becomes a meeting room for the firefighters but also the SAMU, the police, representatives of the town hall or even the prefecture. The project remains common : a single cell for the two departments of Drôme and Ardèche.