Spezialauftrag Rettungswagen

Germany is preparing for potential disasters with a whole new generation of emergency vehicles.

For the manufacturer WAS, based in the Emsland region, this contract is just as much uncharted territory as it is for the client: the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Control.
Yet the vehicle manufacturers already have a wealth of experience to draw upon. After all, they supply emergency vehicles from northern Germany to regions around the world with very different needs: from desert-dominated Saudi Arabia to urban London.

Due to climate change, extreme emergency scenarios are now becoming increasingly likely in Germany as well: flooding, snow chaos, and extreme icy conditions. Emergency services here must be prepared for these phenomena at all times.
But ambulances must not only be off-road capable; their crews must also be able to evacuate as many patients as possible from crisis areas simultaneously and as safely as possible. This poses a special challenge for the vehicle manufacturers from the Emsland region. Ultimately, the thrilling testing in extreme terrain will reveal whether the engineers’ concepts and the vehicle manufacturers’ craftsmanship are practical.
The Nordreportage offers a glimpse into the little-known world of ambulance manufacturing and follows the production of a prototype for disaster response from the very first second through to the grueling off-road test.