For two nights, the new underground passages that were built on the N23 Westfrisiaweg were the scene of large-scaled multidisciplinary exercises. The FireWare staging team cooperated with the fire brigade, the police, ambulances and road inspectors to find a solution for an incident accompanied by fire inside the tunnels.
Purpose of the exercise
The purpose of these exercises in the tunnel was to test the level of accessibility, communication and close cooperation between all first responders. The scenario was staged in a way that allowed as many local operational first responders as possible to practise the procedures related to such an incident. When thinking of local responders, we don’t only include police, fire fighters and ambulances, but also the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Rijkswaterstaat. Practise helps first responders to prepare for incidents that may occur once the road is accessible for the public!
Surprising scenario
The scenario was composed of various collisions. These caused a semi-trailer truck’s overheated brakes to catch fire. This resulted in an enormous amount of smoke filling up the tunnel. Behind the truck, there was a school bus with 25 excited kids, whom, all of a sudden, found themselves trapped in smoke. At both ends of the tunnel, people got stuck in their cars. In short, it was a scenario to chew on. Lots of misery, smoke and on top of it all, a missing victim! “It is of vital essence that first responders train for these kinds of incidents before the tunnel will be taken over by raging traffic”, explained a spokesman of the security region Noord-Holland Noord.
Challenging fire training
The staging team faced a real challenge during these two nights. They had to transform a truck into an enormous fire that the fire fighters had to be able to extinct (on one side) with actual water as well. It took a respectable amount of staging materials: amongst other things, the staging team brought 10 Stratus smoke machines, four Phoenix Silkflames and several simulation lights, including the FireSpot. Moreover, the actual weather and existing lights inside the tunnel were also part of the scenario. Since all staging materials could be operated from a distance, the FireWare staging team fully helicoptered the situation and everything that happened inside the tunnel.
Want to participate in such a challenging exercise?
Why wait? Pick up the phone and contact the staging specialists at FireWare. Their specialist expertise combined with the wide choice in simulation rentals can make virtually any scenario happen. Have a look at our portfolio!
