Florence, 31 July 2021
A goods train leaving Grosseto towards Rome has to stop on the bridge over the River Ombrone (GR) at a point where the railway line is difficult to access. The train driver is taken ill and needs urgent assistance. His colleague provides first aid, secures the train and raises the alarm. The emergency services staff of Tuscany South-East Local Health Authority, accompanied by the staff of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group), are brought onto the railway line after the line has been interrupted. Operators gain access to the driver's cab, carry out the initial assessment and stabilization and then transport the injured person to the ambulance for onward transportation to a hospital facility.
This is the setting for the civil protection exercise that took place during the night between Friday 30 and Saturday 31 July involving the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group (RFI and Mercitalia Rail) and the Grosseto area Local Health Emergency Service, the Siena-Grosseto Operations Centre and the Voluntary Associations.
Particular attention was paid to testing on site procedures for providing rapid assistance in the vicinity of the bridge over the River Ombrone, and the time required to activate first response teams. The methods of communication between the structures involved and the 118 and RFI operations rooms were also checked, especially in the light of the introduction in Tuscany of the 112 - NUE (Single Emergency Number).
The activity was part of the "FS Group Civil Protection Exercise Plan" for testing emergency medical interventions in railway areas and lines, which are also regulated for this exercise by the RFI-118 Tuscany Region Protocol. The exercise was carried out in compliance with the protocols envisaged for combating the Covid-19 health emergency.
There was no disruption to train traffic.