The Criminal Identification Cell (CIC) of the Departmental Gendarmerie Group of Seine-et-Marne (GGD 77) having been provided with a new vehicle, its previous Master had found himself on a siding, at just 14 years old and nearly 178,000 km on the odometer. Temporarily only! Because the group, under the impetus of its commander, Colonel Michaël Fumery, was determined to give it a second wind as a mobile brigade, with the possibility, if necessary, of serving as a command post.
In early 2022, Lieutenant Ghislain Coppolani, commander of the Gendarmerie Automobile Support Center (CSAG) in Melun, the Chief Marshal (MDC) Thierry, a mechanic well known to the organizers of the Tour de France caravan, and the Warrant Officer Stéphane, from the command section of the group, took charge of the project. Contacts are established with the other services concerned: the human resources support group, the Île-de-France gendarmerie region, the carpenter of the National Gendarmerie Officers School, as well as the departmental military delegate of Seine- et-Marne, which granted the assistance of some rare skills of its teams.
Tour de France: behind the scenes of the caravan, long-term logistics
After being screen-printed in the colors of the Tour, the vehicles of the gendarmerie caravan have been passing, since 2016, through the auto support center of Mel..
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A transformationn at a lower cost
Once the various equipment has been delivered to the CSAG, serious things can begin. We are then in April 2022. While he is also preparing the gendarmerie vehicles of the Tour de France caravan, the MDC Thierry undertakes to unequip the vehicle from floor to ceiling, including the electrical system, “which was not in line with what we wanted to do with it and which was even obsolete. » Then, supported from time to time by other CSAG personnel, the soldier undertakes to install the appropriate wiring and connectors in the passenger compartment, so as to be able to set up – and test – the computer and radio equipment.
The vehicle is notably equipped with a 4G amplifier coupled with a wifi router, for use on the move, a television allowing the projection of data, a generator, recovered from the previous equipment, as well as a powerful ramp. LED lighting, 360° adjustable and retractable, to illuminate an intervention scene and put personnel in safety.
Seats, whose upholstery has been renovated, as well as a table, – all recovered from a B110 previously serving as a transmission vehicle for the armored group of mobile gendarmerie -, are then put in place. The storage furniture, which was already in the CIC vehicle, is also reused, after having been adapted to the new dimensions of the passenger compartment in the carpentry workshop of the National Gendarmerie Officers School. Storage rails, taken from another vehicle, complete the interior fittings.
In addition to the essential mechanical overhaul, there is also a more aesthetic renovation of paint and plastics by CSAG bodybuilders, who also install metal reinforcement plates. This being done, the vehicle looks new, and only the license plate remains in “2082” to remind the age of the vehicle.
“Our main objective was to carry out the best possible layout of the vehicle at the lowest cost, that is to say by recycling as many things as possible, whether furniture or unused parts, summarizes Lieutenant Coppolani, boss of the CSAG. In the end, the operation only cost €5,000 in terms of equipment. »
For the workforce, it took nearly 1,000 hours of work, spread over several months, to finalize all the development and compliance work, carried out by the CSAG, in addition to daily missions. or more occasional, such as the Tour de France.
A tool allowing to densifybuild the territorial network
On December 6, the new vehicle was thus able to be presented to the group commander and the units during an extended command meeting, before being unveiled, the same afternoon, to the region commander, enthusiastic about the final product. “The project has generated support, and today, the gendarmes are convinced by the tool, rejoices Colonel Fumery, emphasizing in this respect the initiative and the investment of the personnel involved, in particular those of the CSAG and the command section of the GGD.
“We now have a vehicle adapted in all respects to the dynamics of mobile brigades, able to meet all operational constraints, indicates Colonel Fumery. A timely arrival in view of the imminent creation of 200 new brigades announced by the Minister, and which could thus join the various projects proposed by the GGD 77 in this context.
In the meantime, the vehicle will mainly help to densify the territorial network of the Provins company, to which it is assigned and by which it is armed, in particular on the N4 sector towards La Ferté-Gaucher. It can also be used on specific missions, serve as a command post in the event of a crisis, an important element for operational conduct in the departmental gendarmerie, or, for example, serve as a base for a green brigade.
