Toronto Fire Services Railway Responses Standard Operating Guideline PDF

STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE RAILWAY RESPONSES Date Issued: September 21, 2022 Rescinds: March 2, 2019 Section: Incident and Emergency Operations File Code: G-RAIL PURPOSE To provide all Toronto Fire Services (TFS) personnel with a guideline for responses to incidents involving railways. RESPONSIB...

STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE RAILWAY RESPONSES Date Issued: September 21, 2022 Rescinds: March 2, 2019 Section: Incident and Emergency Operations File Code: G-RAIL PURPOSE To provide all Toronto Fire Services (TFS) personnel with a guideline for responses to incidents involving railways. RESPONSIBILITY All personnel are responsible for maintaining a knowledge of procedures when operating at railway incidents. The Communications Centre Officer is responsible for ensuring communications are relayed between firefighting personnel and Rail Traffic Control Centres and Rail Police via the TFS Communication Centre. The Incident Commander is responsible for the safety of all personnel and requesting rail stoppages at all incidents in proximity to rail tracks. GUIDELINES 1. General Trains (passenger) operate in Toronto at maximum speeds up to 150 km/h. Even when operators see a need to perform an emergency stop, it takes considerable time and up to 1.5 km to stop large (freight) trains. Railway lines present several unique hazards to Firefighters, including the following: (a) Difficult to access. (b) Unsure who the trains are operated by; i. Canadian National Railways (CNR) ii. Canadian Pacific Railways (CPR) iii. Government of Ontario (GO) Transit iv. Another agency Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), Canadian National Railway (CNR), and GO Transit operate tracks in Toronto. Despite control of tracks, CPR and CNR Rail Traffic Control Centres manage ALL track operations. It is difficult to determine track ownership and use. Contacting the appropriate agency to stop a train from proceeding can be difficult. The Incident File Code: G-RAIL Page 1 of 3  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE Commander shall attempt to identify the owner of the track. Even when confirmation is provided that the appropriate agency has been contacted and trains have been directed to stop before entering the section of track in question, mistakes may occur and the trains proceed regardless. When tracks run parallel to one another, it does not mean they are under the same rail jurisdiction. In fact, different rail operators' lines often travel the same corridor. Therefore, when crossing more than on rail line, both CNR and CPR should be contacted via their emergency contact numbers. At any rail incident, the Incident Commander shall do the following: (a) Ensure equipment is not deployed across tracks. (b) Ensure personnel do not work on tracks. (c) Ensure an Incident Safety Officer (ISO) is immediately assigned. (d) Contact the TFS Communications Centre and relay any known track ownership information. (e) Request rail traffic stoppage from the appropriate Rail Police organization. A common misconception is that firefighting personnel will hear a train coming and have time to clear the area before it gets too close. Many trains (GO Trains, etc.) are quiet. Depending on where operations are performed (e.g. near a busy highway or in other high noise environments), by the time the train is heard, there may not be enough time to clear the tracks and safely remove equipment. Another potentially dangerous concept is to believe the train's Engineer will see persons on the track and be able to stop. Not all trains are pulled from the front engine. In some instances, they are pushed from the rear. Consequently, the Engineer may not be in a position to see any potential obstacles in front of him/her on the tracks. Firefighters shall not deploy fire hose across railway tracks unless there is a reasonable reason to believe that lives are at stake. If not, firefighting personnel should find an alternative, such as the following: (a) Requesting additional apparatus to approach from the other side of the tracks (where practical). (b) Digging underneath the tracks so hose is not exposed. TFS personnel shall not deploy equipment across or work on tracks until receiving confirmation from the Incident Commander that rail traffic has been stopped. When attempting to dig under the tracks, Firefighters are still in a danger zone and must be careful to watch for trains and be able to abandon their position File Code: G-RAIL Page 2 of 3  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE in a moments' notice. Personnel (at least two) should be assigned to posts adjacent to those working on the tracks to ensure they are aware of an oncoming train. Additional apparatus and personnel (at least two) should be requested. At any time Firefighters have to work on or near railway tracks, "spotters" should be posted as far along the tracks as possible to serve as advanced lookouts. These spotters shall do the following: (a) Be in possession of a TFS portable radio. (b) Be able to immediately communicate with crews working near the tracks to warn them of an approaching train. NOTE: Spotters are not in position to stop the train, but rather to warn the TFS crew working in the vicinity of the tracks. 2. Derailments The safety of passengers and crew aboard a derailed train shall be the primary responsibility of on scene firefighting personnel. The applicable rail operator shall be immediately notified of any derailment situation. 3. Emergency 24 Hour Contacts For all emergency communications, notify Canadian National Rail Police at; 1 (800) 465-9239 For all emergency communications, notify Canadian Pacific Rail Police at; 1 (800) 551-2553 For all emergencies involving GO Transit, notify CN Rail Police or CP Rail Police. For all non-emergencies, notify GO Transit Communications at; (905) 803-0642 NOTE: "Train time is anytime!" ATTACHMENT(S) N/A RELATED SOGS G-HAZC – Hazardous Materials Incidents Operations G-OAEN – Other Agencies (Non-Emergency) – Ministry of Environment (MOE) File Code: G-RAIL Page 3 of 3