Specialist resources: Railway infrastructure incidents

This control measure should be read in conjunction with Incident command – Specialist resources

Specialist resources may be provided by the relevant railway infrastructure service provider. They should have the required competence and knowledge to provide timely and accurate information to emergency responders about the hazards and risks of railway infrastructure incidents.

Identifying specialist resources may provide the incident commander with access to a range of advice and assistance to support the development of a safe and effective tactical plan. Specialist resources may vary depending on the type and context of the incident.

For railway infrastructure incidents, specialist resources could be a:

• Rail incident officer (RIO)
• Station incident officer (SIO)
• Train operating company (TOC) staff member
• Mobile operations manager (MOM)
• Local manager, for example for heritage railways

The JESIP/Network Rail Emergency Services Guidance, available on ResilienceDirect™, provides further information about the roles and responsibilities of Network Rail specialist resources and how they can be requested. It may also be appropriate to request the attendance of tactical advisers or other specialists for railway infrastructure incidents.

Fire and rescue services should maintain a directory of specialist resources, including tactical advisers, that may be required to provide information, advice or assistance.

Depending on their defined role, specialist resources for a railway infrastructure incident may be able to:

• Provide information to the incident commander on rail safety matters and the railway infrastructure
• Arrange for specialist rail workers, engineers and contractors to be sent to the scene of the incident
• Arrange for equipment, such as rail trolleys, generators, cranes and welfare facilities, to be provided or moved to the scene of the incident
• Assess the suitability of the proposed fire and rescue service control measures and tactical plan
• Liaise with the incident commander to provide options for partial or complete restoration of services
• Co-ordinate the phased reopening of rail lines