Vancouver’s first responders are making sure they’re prepared for a rail disaster.
On Tuesday morning, Vancouver firefighters, and a number of other agencies, participated in a mock train incident to put their skills to the test.
Crews worked on an incident of the West Coast Express hitting a car that was parked on the tracks. Crews used the Jaws of Life to take apart the car and rescue the driver, which was a dummy.
“This is extremely important for us, in terms of our response capacity, to be able to get on a site like this, to be able to work with props like an actual train in this type of scenario is extremely important for our heavy rescue team,” said Brian Hutchinson with Vancouver Fire and Rescue.
The exercise was held at the CP Rail yard in Gastown and was the first time a multi-agency drill, involving a rail incident, has occurred. Vancouver Fire and Rescue, Translink, Canadian Pacific, West Coast Express and CP Police all took part in the training scenario.
“The greatest risk, dealing with railroads and the trains is actually keep the area safe,” said Sgt. Clark Rutledge with CP Police. “So that communication, where fire gets the call and communicates with the railway to ensure everything is shut down – not only here but these tracks all behind us here – we want a safe work zone.”
Incidents like this are rare but if they do occur it ensures all agencies are prepared.
– With files from Grace Ke
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