14 September 2005
Truck Destroyed in Mock Disaster
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Portage la Prairie Emergency Services firefighters took part in a
disaster readiness drill yesterday just east of the Third Street N.E. railway crossing. The exercise was
initiated by Canadian Pacific Railway Police Service to practice emergency preparedness and
co-ordination with Portage fire, medical and police services.
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Portage la Prairie - A body was dragged from the flames of a pickup truck which plowed into
a rail tanker car carrying diesel fuel yesterday morning. Portage Emergency Services worked diligently, calming the fire with foam, as
paramedics hurriedly extricated the victim from the vehicle and prepared him for transportation to hospital. RCMP members took action
to quickly cordon off the area and remained on the scene to monitor the situation with officials from CN Rail, Canadian Pacific
Railway and City of Portage la Prairie.
No one was injured at the mock accident at Third Street N.E., which was organized to test the preparedness of local emergency
personnel.
CN Rail and Canadian Pacific Railways, with local RCMP, Portage Emergency Services, all the first responders and City of Portage
organized the exercise. "This is ensuring we go through as real an exercise as possible and, if something does happen, we're in
sync and we're working out any potential kinks that might be in the system," said Ed Greenberg, CPR manager of public affairs.
RCMP Const. David Spakowski said it's important to test the lines of communication to make sure everything is working smoothly.
"Ultimately, (it's to) help the public in order to protect them," he said. "If we do have to evacuate the area, we have
to have our services in place that will allow us to do that."
Mayor Ian MacKenzie watched yesterday's exercise and noted the speedy co-ordination of the emergency workers to control
the situation. "It's very important the staff are having these training sessions and we're pleased the way they are handling it,
too," he said.
Allan Arnal, manager of dangerous goods for CN Rail, said the exercise is a good way to prepare for an emergency. "If the real
McCoy does happen, you're better be prepared for it," he said.
Greenberg said CPR personnel used their skills to bring the emergency incident under control. "We have a step-by-step
process that kicks in immediately if there's an incident, from a derailment to a vehicle hitting a train or a pedestrian coming into
contact with a train," he said. "Then our teams would start responding in addition to local fire, RCMP, ambulance, whatever
the situation is."
He said CN Rail and CPR need to work together. "For initial response, the main priority is the security of everyone in the
area,"Arnal added.
Similar emergency preparedness exercises are conducted regularly across Canada and the United States. "Being prepared is key and
the feeling was it was a success," Greenberg said. "We've been able to develop a closer relationship with the various
agencies in Portage and that's important. It was well worth the exercise."
Deputy fire chief Phil Carpenter said the simulation was effective. "There were 10 members out here that were physically,
actively involved in a pretend exercise incident," he said. Carpenter said the personnel knew there was an exercise, but didn't
know the details. "I'm very happy with what everybody did," he said. "We worked as a big team - the RCMP, the ambulance,
CN Rail and CPR, and the office of the fire commissioners. They were all involved in part of the scenario to create a safe
atmosphere."
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