Emergency scenario plays out on bridge
Dianna M. Náñez – May. 24, 2011
The Arizona Republic
Amber Anaya considers her light-rail ride to work routine but on Sunday she learned her trip could easily turn dangerous without the proper emergency response.
Anaya was one of about 40 Valley residents who volunteered for a Metro light rail emergency drill that left her stranded atop a Tempe Town Lake bridge in a smoke-filled train.
The drills are done biannually to meet Federal Transit Authority requirements, but this is the first time Metro re-enacted the emergency outside of the agency’s maintenance yard.
The drill gave Metro operators and public safety workers the chance to refine interagency communication as they worked to evacuate passengers from the two-car train and off the bridge.
But there were lessons for passengers, too, Anaya said.
“It makes you more aware of what’s going on around you,” she said. “I would tell people to . . . follow the instructions given by the operator . . . notice where the emergency-door openers are.”
As Anaya’s train stopped on the tracks, smoke fogged the air. Anaya said she instinctively reached for the emergency exit. She pulled the plastic cover off the emergency handle waiting for the door to open.
But nothing happened.
“I was surprised at how quickly it filled up (with smoke). I couldn’t see and you’re worried about how am I going to get the door open,” she said. “Then, another man pulled the doors open. He just pried it open.”
The drill allowed Metro and public safety workers to practice planned aspects of the emergency. But unexpected moments, like Anaya’s struggle with the door, provide opportunities for Metro to review train safety.
Hillary Foose, a Metro spokeswoman, said she was unaware of Anaya’s experience. But that she had heard of “issues with one of the door’s opening.”
Foose said Metro will review the issue in a debriefing in which the drill is analyzed.
“We do these kinds of efforts to ensure that we are continuing to practice how to be safe,” she said. “Light rail is a relatively new addition to our transportation network so it’s important for us to create the opportunities that give our team as well as local responders the familiarity needed to keep the customer safe.”
On Sunday, passengers were split into groups that would mimic the varied responses in a real emergency. Anaya’s group was told to self-evacuate, ignoring a Metro operator’s instructions given over a train intercom.
Others panicked (part of the script) and had to be guided off the train. Tristan Bernal, 11, and Michelle Aubuchont were among a group treated for pretend injuries.
Tempe Fire and Police departments responded to a 911 call reporting that there were injuries on a light-rail train that had stalled on a bridge over Town Lake.
Mike Reichling, a Tempe Fire Department spokesman, said the drill allowed Metro and public safety workers to practice working together during an emergency.
“The Number 1 thing that usually fails in an emergency is communication between agencies,” he said. “That’s why it’s so important to have 911 operators involved.”