Nera Montoro (TR), 14 November 2021
Put to the test was the effectiveness of the procedures, response times and coordination of the structures within the territory in the case of an emergency, putting into practice the periodic training of railway staff and the personnel of the entities and institutions involved in the rescue operations.
The exercise – organised by the FS Italiane Group and coordinated by the Prefecture of Terni – is just one of the initiatives set out in the annual plan of the FS Group’s Civil Protection Exercises.
The activity took place with the involvement of: the Terni Provincial Command of the Fire Brigade, the Terni 118 Emergency Service, the Umbria Region’s Civil Protection, the Municipality of Narni, the Terni Police Headquarters, the Provincial Command of the Carabinieri of Terni, the Provincial Command of the Guardia di Finanza of Terni, the Railway Police Division of Le Marche – Umbria – Abruzzo, the Command of the Terni Traffic Police Division, the Umbria 2 Terni Local Health Service, the Santa Maria di Terni Hospital, the Terni Provincial Committee of the Red Cross, the Terni Province, along with Volunteer Associations.
The exercise took place last night in the Santa Croce tunnel, on the Orte-Falconara Marittima line. The simulation concerned the diversion of a Frecciabianca train which had departed from Foligno and headed for Rome with 80 passengers on board. The cause was a violent earthquake, as a result of which a fire broke out. Following the incident, the train operator immediately raised the alarm. 15 passengers were injured. There was no impact on railway circulation.
The activities are also established in the agreement between the FS Group, the Umbria Region’s Civil Protection and the protocol with the 118 Emergency Service, with the aim of improving the speed of intervention, the safety standards and the protection of people, property and the environment.
All operations were carried out in accordance with the health protection regulations in force.
The main objective of the exercise is to verify the Emergency and Rescue Plan, verifying the effectiveness of the coordination and communication systems provided by RFI, both inside and outside the tunnel. Furthermore, the flow of information was verified, in particular pertaining to the safety of the infrastructure, along with the times for raising the alarm concerning the external rescue structures with the timing of the teams intervening.