Fire and rescue services should ensure that the planned operational response to transport incidents is sufficient to allow relevant safe systems of work to be implemented. A task analysis of various transport scenarios will enable a fire and rescue service to plan an effective response. This, together with any known site-specific information, will provide a risk-based assessment of the predetermined response. Pre-planning should also consider lessons and recommendations from public inquiries into transport incidents, formal incident debriefs and case studies.
As part of the pre-planning process, the predetermined response should include the need for other agencies, including the emergency services, along with specialist equipment, vehicles, advice or assistance.
Air
Fire and rescue services should assist in developing procedures for dealing with emergency situations at aerodromes where they may become involved. This should be included in the emergency orders of an aerodrome emergency plan.
The purpose of the aerodrome emergency plan is to provide emergency responders and other agencies with information about their responsibilities. The plan ensures the required information is easily identifiable and covers every aspect of emergency planning and emergency response for an aerodrome.
The aerodrome emergency plan should describe the procedures for co-ordinating the response of:
- Aerodrome agencies, including rescue and fire fighting services (RFFS)
- Agencies or services, including ground handlers, airlines and security services
- Agencies in the surrounding community that could provide emergency assistance
Fire and rescue services should ensure that personnel are aware of the hazards and have safe systems of work when attending incidents on an aerodrome or when dealing with an aircraft accident. Air industry partners will have facilities to support any risk information gathering for hazards that may be encountered.
Rail
Fire and rescue services should maintain knowledge of the intervention strategies designed for the rail network and be aware of the environment they will be operating in. Issues associated with communication, confined spaces, travel distances and manual handling may be addressed by pre-planning and predetermining the appropriate initial response. For complex environments, pre-planning and testing communication arrangements should be carried out.
Pre-planning will require appropriate liaison with rail operating companies or freight operating companies to establish best practice and a joint understanding of risk and response. This is particularly relevant to:
- Rail tracks
- Rail environment
- Rail depots
- Sidings
- Tunnels
- Rail vehicles including their loads
Road
Fire and rescue services should produce multi-agency response plans for incidents that cause disruption to major road networks. The plans should detail the emergency and recovery phase roles and responsibilities of each agency.
Waterways
Fire and rescue services should develop an appropriate understanding of the design, construction, nature of use and occupancy of ports, docks, harbours, marinas and inland waterways in their area. Port emergency plans should provide emergency responders and other agencies with the information they need for incidents within these environments.
Pre-planning and multi-agency training or exercises, with port and harbour authorities, should help to establish good working relationships and assist fire and rescue services in defining tactical response plans for waterways incidents.