POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Multiple fire rescue agencies participated in a training exercise on Thursday morning at the Tri-Rail train tracks. The simulation, designed to prepare crews for a worst-case scenario.

During the exercise, responders faced a challenging scenario: a train versus vehicle collision, leading to a trapped patient and a simulated fire on the train.

“This was a train versus vehicle, and what we simulated was there was a trapped patient in the vehicle and also we had the train simulated that it caught fire, creating smoke and hazardous situation for the passengers on board,” explained Fire Rescue Training Chief Don Desmond. “Therefore, we had to extinguish the fire, extricate the victim from the vehicle, and also set crews for interior passengers that had smoke inside the rail cars.”

The drill included extinguishing the fire, extricating the victim, and dealing with smoke-filled rail cars where actors played the roles of passengers.

The realistic simulation aimed to enhance coordination among agencies, providing valuable insights on handling emergencies effectively. Firefighters engaged in the exercise to assist Tri-Rail in refining their response to potential mass casualty incidents.

Chief Desmond spoke about the importance of such drills.

“This situation is very realistic, and numerous agencies will inevitably have to work together. Training for these scenarios helps us overcome hardships in collaboration and ensures that different units can work together seamlessly during large-scale incidents,” he said.

This comprehensive drill not only addressed the challenges of extinguishing fires and rescuing trapped victims but also focused on collaboration among various agencies. The goal was to minimize the severity of situations and streamline communication between responders.

“Having all units from different agencies working together, usually presents a hardship sometimes, and so by training for this helps us to be able to come together and somewhat work on the same page and get everything accomplished as needed,” said Chief Desmond.

Chief Desmond added that the program takes months to complete, including meetings, planning, training and coordinating around everyone’s schedule.

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