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LOCOMOTIVE EMERGENCIES

LOCOMOTIVE EMERGENCIES. Seaside Fire Department 2006. Locomotive Emergency Response Operations. Topics. Approaching the Site Entering the Locomotive Flagging Oncoming Trains Case Studies Driving Tips – Look, Listen, Live Crossing Information Signs & Warning Devices.

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LOCOMOTIVE EMERGENCIES

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  1. LOCOMOTIVE EMERGENCIES Seaside Fire Department 2006

  2. Locomotive Emergency Response Operations

  3. Topics • Approaching the Site • Entering the Locomotive • Flagging Oncoming Trains • Case Studies • Driving Tips – Look, Listen, Live • Crossing Information • Signs & Warning Devices

  4. Approaching the Site • Moving trains have the right of way under all circumstances. Even when responding to an emergency, you should never try to beat a train at a grade crossing. • Upon arrival to an incident involving a train emergency, the fire department should establish command.

  5. Move all non-essential personnel away from the perimeter of the train wreck and ensure that bystanders do not approach. • Notify railroads to stop all approaching trains and then send out flaggers. Always look out for trains at all times, from both directions, until flaggers have had time to set up at appropriate distances from wreck.

  6. Before entering the site, use air monitoring equipment to determine air purity. • Look out for hazardous conditions such as slippery surfaces, sharp edges on damaged equipment, and downed power lines. • Determine if any electrical, mechanical, and/or chemical hazards exist.

  7. In case of an electric locomotive wreck, consider all wires “live” unless confirmed “dead” by a qualified expert. If the department has testing equipment, use that to test the catenary. • Locomotives carry thousands of gallons of diesel fuel that may have leaked during the wreck. Suppress diesel vapors by spreading a blanket of foam. Reapply foam if the blanket is compromised.

  8. Contact the railroad dispatcher for information on how many crew members are on board and if hazardous cargo exists on train. • Ensure ambulance and public safety vehicles have access to site.

  9. Entering the Locomotive • Keep spectators, unnecessary personnel, and unnecessary apparatus and equipment away from the train wreck. • Shut off power to the locomotives using the emergency shut-off valves located on the exterior near the fuel tanks and also inside the cab.

  10. Before entering, ensure stability of locomotive and stability of surrounding train cars that have the potential to slide onto the locomotive. • Never climb on the roof of an electric locomotive and do not let personnel or ladders come within 8 feet of any segment of the catenary system.

  11. Look for crew members in the nose of the locomotive, near the collision posts. If crew members are unaccounted for, check beside the tracks in the event that they jumped from the train. • Side windows are wider than the doors and easier to remove than the windshield. These windows might be the best option for victim removal.

  12. If you cannot access any door or window, the roof is the best choice for cutting as it is made with a thinner skin of steel than the sides or the nose. • Be sure to spray a continual foam blanket (or water spray if foam is not available) while cutting, to suppress any diesel vapors.

  13. If at night, ensure adequate exterior lighting. • In cases where the locomotive is toppled, a 4:1 mechanical advantage pulley might be the best method for lifting heavier people trapped inside the cab.

  14. Flagging Oncoming Trains • Make sure both flaggers are wearing reflective clothing and are equipped with three, 30-minute flares. • Send out a qualified flagger in both directions from the wreck site. Law enforcement personnel may be available to assist with flagging. Swung at Right Angle to the Track. Swung at Right Angle to the Track STOP STOP

  15. Flaggers may need to go as far as 2 miles in either direction of the wreck in order to stop approaching trains in time. Check with the railroad dispatcher to determine the appropriate locations for flaggers. • Each flagger should wave a lit flare back and forth in front of him/her at a right angle to the track as soon as oncoming train is heard or seen.

  16. Case Studies - Death in the Line of Duty

  17. In march of 2002, a 48-yr old volunteer firefighter in Kentucky, driving a tanker truck, received fatal injuries after being struck by a freight train and thrown from his vehicle as he attempted to cross a private, ungated railroad crossing. The firefighter was returning the apparatus to the station following a training exercise.

  18. Two years earlier, a 31-yr old career firefighter in N. Carolina died after the ladder truck he was driving collided with a train at a railroad crossing with two sets of tracks. He was returning to the station after a false alarm. The gates at the crossing were down and warning lights activated. The northbound train moved slowly forward, then stopped after clearing the crossing to wait for permission from the dispatcher to proceed. A tanker car obstructed the firefighter’s view of an approaching southbound train. He drove around the first lowered gate, over the tracks and into the path of the second train. The force of the impact ejected the firefighter from his vehicle, resulting in his death.

  19. Driving Tips

  20. LOOK! • Plan your routes to avoid highway-rail grade crossings. Otherwise, use crossing with active warnings and clear sightlines down railroad tracks in both directions. • LOOK both ways before crossing. Trains can come from either direction.

  21. Come to a complete stop at all crossings with passive warning devices (no gates or flashing lights). Use caution and be prepared to STOP at all crossings with active warning devices (flashing lights, gates). Per NFPA Standard 1500 Sec. 4-2.8. • When stopped be sure your front or rear bumper clears the nearest track by at least 15 feet.

  22. LISTEN… • Before crossing, roll down windows, turn off siren and radio, and listen for train horn.

  23. Live Always…heed flashing lights, closing gates and stop signs. Wait…until safely through the crossing before shifting gears or passing. Never…back up or stop on tracks. If gate comes down on the vehicle, keep going through the crossing.

  24. Crossing Information

  25. Most railroad crossings have information that identifies their location, the railroad that uses that track, and an emergency 800 contact number. This information needs to be used when: • Your vehicle is caught on the crossing and/or in some way blocks the tract OR • The incident you are responding to involves a vehicle or pedestrian on or near a crossing.

  26. Locate the U.S. DOT Inventory Crossing Number (six numbers and a letter) that identifies your location, and the toll-free emergency contact number. These numbers are usually found on the crossbuck post or the post where the crossing gates are secured. Call the phone number provided and report your emergency. Example of U.S. DOT Inventory Crossing Number. This number can usually be found on the sign with contact information.

  27. Recommended Emergency Notification Format

  28. Example of posted sign

  29. Signs & Warning Devices

  30. ADVANCE WARNING SIGN Posted on side of road to denote railroad tracks ahead

  31. PAVEMENT MARKING Denotes railroad crossing ahead

  32. CROSSBUCK Firefighter apparatus must come to a complete stop per NFPA standards

  33. HUMPED – HIGH PROFILE CROSSING Low clearance vehicles should not attempt to cross. You may get hung up on tracks.

  34. CROSSBUCK and FLASHING LIGHTS A train is coming…DO NOT cross!!!

  35. CROSSBUCK, LOWERED GATES and FLASHING LIGHTS A train is coming- DO NOT drive around the gates!!!

  36. If a Train Comes… If your vehicle becomes hung up or stalls on the crossing, get everyone out and keep a safe distance from the tracks. If time permits before exiting, turn on the vehicle’s emergency lighting system (strobe light, flashers). If you hear or see a train approaching, move everyone at the crossing away from the tracks in the direction of the oncoming train. When a locomotive strikes a vehicle, it pushes it forward. By heading in the direction of the oncoming locomotive you’ll be moving away from any debris resulting from the impact.

  37. Did you know… Approximately every 2 hours, a train hits a person or vehicle. Nearly half of all vehicle-train collisions occur at crossings with functioning, active warning devices. Trains cannot stop quickly or swerve to avoid collisions – an average train going 55 mph takes more than a mile to stop! Optical Illusion – Trains are much closer and moving faster than they appear to be. Average freight trains weigh about 12,000,000 pounds; average fire apparatus weigh about 20,000 pounds. The train is some 600 times heavier. In a collision, the fire apparatus loses! Emergencies add urgency to decision making- going through crossing warnings may create a second emergency, distract fellow responders, and cost your life.

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