Railways, NDRF organise full-scale train accident joint exercise at Ernakulam

Kochi (Kerala) [India], May 19 (ANI): The Railways and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Arakkonam and Thrissur Units jointly organised a full-scale train accident joint exercise with Kerala Fire and Rescue Services at Ernakulam Marshalling Yard, according to an official statement.

The role of each person participating in the rescue and restoration from a real-world accident or disaster scenario generated as a trial is better understood with the aid of mock drills.
At 8:15 am, on May 18, maintenance wings and all concerned were informed of a train accident at the Ernakulam Marshalling Yard, where a train coach carrying passengers had derailed, capsized and caught fire. The rescue effort got underway shortly after.

All trapped passengers were freed alive, the fire was entirely put out, and they were taken to the nearest hospital after rendering first aid at the accident scene. Later, a crane was used to re-rail the coach. In the end, there was a debriefing session to generate the lessons learnt for improving teamwork and the efficacy of the units for Disaster Management, read the official statement.

DMO Health Dept. Ernakulam, Kerala Police and District Disaster Management Authority and District Administration Ernakulam along with 200 railway staff and 40 NDRF personnel participated in the drill. 24 Fire and Rescue Service officials with 4 fire tenders efficiently managed the fire control exercise, according to the official statement.

The exercise was organised to evaluate rescue operations’ readiness and practises, disseminate information on accident reporting guidelines and impart knowledge on accident reporting procedures. Improve inter-departmental coordination and transfer of expertise across all coordinating agencies.

In this mock drill, new machinery like cold cutting equipment, plasma cutters, special fire-fighting equipment, etc was used.