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BAPCO North West and North Wales Region AGM – including Grayrigg train crash presentation
After the business of the AGM had been concluded Brian Mitchelhill, the new Regional Project Manager for the fire service, carried out a presentation on the Grayrigg train crash.
Brian is on secondment from the Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service to his present post. He had succeeded Andy Norton (a Past President of BAPCO) from the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, who emigrated to Canada.
Brian’s role in the Grayrigg incident was largely managing the media, from the cosy confines of the Service’s HQ at Cockermouth.
The incident occurred about 8.10pm on Friday 27 February 2008 when the prevailing weather was dreadful with high winds and rain. Although not far as the crow flies from the village of Grayrigg, access to the actual site at Lambrigg Fell was by narrow country roads but with no road close to the scene. This resulted in a large area of temporary roads having to be constructed across wet pasture to facilitate the recovery operation.
First reports indicated that a Virgin train had been derailed between Preston and Carlisle – a distance of some 70 miles. Within five minutes this was narrowed down to be between Tebay and Oxenholme – a distance of 15 miles. Even before the actual site had finally been pinpointed (or the extent of the incident was known), excellent co-operation between the emergency services and Network Rail had resulted in a rendezvous point being established at Cross How.
As in every major incident the early stages were a bit disorganised but extensive pre-planning and regular exercises soon resulted in good co-operative order taking over. Good bronze level of control was essential with those at the scene communicating with one another to ensure the smooth running of the rescue operation.
The train involved was a Virgin Pendolino with nine coaches travelling from London Euston to Glasgow.
Unlike airlines and ferries, train operators cannot really say with any degree of accuracy how many people may be involved, and clearly this presents a major challenge to those endeavouring to manage the response. In the event the incident resulted in the death of an 80 plus year old lady and 11 seriously injured.
As the investigation of the crash remains sub-judice, Brian’s presentation was confined to the response and rescue phases of the incident, but this brief report focuses on the lessons learned to enable all involved in civil contingency response to benefit from others’ experiences.
Brian emphasised that in dealing with overhead electric cables it is important to remember that not only must the current be switched off, but that the actual area of the incident must be isolated by earthing, due to the possibility of residual current.
In this incident the coach where the most rescue activity had been concentrated was close to the overhead cable and failure to isolate could have had severe consequences. It is possible to start work before isolation takes place, but extreme care has to be used to make certain that no individual or their equipment comes into contact with the overhead cable until it has been isolated.
Although most of his audience were experienced emergency professionals it was surprising how few were aware of this particular point. This perhaps illustrates the vital need for Network Rail to provide definitive guidance to all the emergency services about what is required when dealing with electrified railway lines – whether they be of the overhead or third rail type.
Continuing, Brian said that as is typical in a major incident, inner and outer cordons were established. The Network Rail team attending to deal with the isolation arrived at the outer cordon without any real means of identification, which meant their credentials had to be checked before they could progress to the scene.
On a positive note Brian was able to say that the Cumbria FRS had recently acquired new UHF handhelds that were used to very good effect at the scene – battery performance was good, and the Airwave radio system also functioned very well.
However there are still some concerns about mobile telephone usage with ACCOLC (Access Overload Control) being partially implemented. This enables the emergency services to gain preference over the media who – naturally – have an insatiable appetite for information when an incident occurs. In comparatively remote areas coverage can be intermittent and so it is essential that preference is given to those involved in rescue and rescue support activities. The North West Ambulance Service reported positively on the benefits gained from mobile phone usage from the scene.
A reporter on the train had used their mobile phone to transmit pictures from the scene which were later broadcast on television. These pictures helped Ambulance Control to gauge the likely casualty evacuation requirements because they showed uninjured passengers moving in some of the coaches. The media interest in the incident was world-wide and using the tried and tested give-and-take technique resulted in good publicity for the emergency services.
One of the problems in an area with difficult access is often that of abandoned vehicles – and some of this was experienced at Grayrigg. The sodden nature of the ground also meant that there was a continuous danger of vehicles becoming bogged down. As previously mentioned a temporary road to the actual scene was built to assist in the recovery phase, and this – to the great credit of all concerned – was accomplished in just three days. It says much for the efficiency of all involved in the rescue phase that the fire service involvement in the incident was completed by mid-morning on the Saturday.
Annual general meeting
The Regional AGM held on Tuesday 11 March 2008 celebrated the 14 years of service to BAPCO of Regional Chair, Susan Parke-Hatton MBE. Susan is a past president of BAPCO and apart from her presidential years has served as the region’s executive committee representative since she was first appointed to the role in 1994. Tracey Mott, BAPCO’s Administration Manager, presented her with a bouquet to mark the occasion. Susan is a life member of BAPCO and will retain an interest in the organisation but this was her last meeting in an official capacity
The new regional Committee will be as follows:
Chair – Derek Wignall, Lancashire Constabulary
Vice Chair – Chris Tyrrall, Raynet
CAG Representative – Colin Evans, CIT Services Ltd
Members
Graham Curry, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Peter Graham, Caldew Consulting
David Stott, Lancashire County Council Emergency Planning
Secretary/Executive Committee Representative – Jim Irving, Cumbria Constabulary, Retired
