The ELW1 leads the turnout to an incident, acting as a “traffic breaker” to alert traffic ahead to the fact that fire engines are approaching them, and once at the scene acts as a forward command unit for operations. In certain circumstances, it may also act as a “first responder”, turning out to an emergency call to assess the situation before a full turnout is ordered. For example, in the case of a call for a litter bin on fire in a rural area, the ELW1 would attend and deal with the fire with hand appliances if possible, calling on further support if this were required.

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