First Intervention Team of ASB Baden-Württemberg e.V.

What is the FIT?

ASB Baden-Württemberg's First Intervention Team (FIT) is an emergency unit consisting mainly of volunteers. It was founded at the end of 2021 and immediately made ready for action. The FIT is available with specialist personnel and equipment for special emergencies such as floods, flash floods, storm damage, evacuation measures, care missions and other incidents and is an additional component of the population's safety precautions. 

The FIT has a modular structure; the individual modules and operational components are distributed across Baden-Württemberg and are alerted as required. The FIT works exclusively with ASB's own vehicles and emergency personnel, which are not integrated into the state's disaster control or the federal civil defense. It can therefore be deployed independently of official approvals by ASB. 

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How the FIT works

The FIT of ASB Baden-Württemberg e. V. is a competent emergency unit and, in addition to the disaster control facilities (federal medical task force and state emergency units), is available for emergency preparedness for the population. FIT emergency personnel do not occupy any positions in the state's disaster control or the federal civil defense in order to prevent "double planning" and ensure constant availability. This optimizes ASB's ability to respond and makes a significant contribution to improving the ability to provide rapid assistance in the event of crises and disasters.

The FIT receives the alert and the mission order from the ASB Baden-Württemberg regional management. In the operational area, it is subordinate to the regionally responsible command structure and operations management. The alerted FIT modules should be deployed one hour after the alarm is raised. The duration of the deployment of these acute units should not exceed 48 hours and ends with the deployment of regular disaster relief forces. 

The FIT covers almost all capabilities within civil protection. Depending on the modules alerted, these can consist of two to 56 helpers and one to 20 emergency vehicles. The table shows which modules and capabilities are currently available.

 

The Mannheim FIT components and their capabilities

ASB Mannheim/Rhine-Neckar provides the FIT module command support, drone and ATV.

ATV module:
- Reconnaissance and reconnaissance in difficult terrain
- Medical care and triage in difficult terrain
- Patient and casualty evacuation from difficult terrain
- Supply of consumables in difficult terrain)

Drone module:
- Terrain-independent reconnaissance and situational awareness
- Terrain-independent search for missing persons

Command support module:
- Unit management and communication
- Helper coordination / administration

An impression of the first ASB FIT exercise in Böblingen 2021 can be found here: Youtube video FIT exercise 2021 in Böblingen