Caroline Wake Eric Rebeyrotte
Steve Demetriou
Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Fire Protection and Safety in Tunnels Conference Oslo
23-24 September 2015
“Fire Safety in the Channel Tunnel”
The Channel Tunnel:A vital link
Rome Bordeaux LYON
TOURS
LE MANS
RENNES
LAVAL
BREST
DISNEYLAND
PARIS
PARIS
LILLE
CALAIS
BRUSSELS
GHENT
THE HAGUE
AMSTERDAM
Frankfurt
ASHFORD
LONDON
Waterloo
BIRMINGHAM
The North /
Scotland
Hamburg
Zurich
Barcelona
BRUGES
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Channel Tunnel History
•1986 – Treaty of Canterbury Signed
•TML – A joint venture consortium between UK & France
•1990 – Service tunnel completed
•For the first time in 12000 years, people can walk across the channel
•8 years to design
•Cost of £9.6 billion = €13.4 billion
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Open for Business
•The Channel Tunnel was officially opened by HM the Queen and President Mitterrand on 6 May 1994
•On the 19 May 1994 the Channel Tunnel opened as a commercial business
•Eurotunnel operate the Concession
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Governance Arrangements
Inter-Governmental Commission (NSA)
Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Rescue and Public Safety
Working Group
Emergency Planning
Committee/s
Rail Safety and Transport
Working Group
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
The Terminals
Folkestone - Kent Sangatte - Calais
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
The “Concession”
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
NVS
SVS
Fr portal
3 km Sangatte
38 km
Shakespeare Cliff
UK portal 9 km
Tunnel Ventilation
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Rail Running Tunnel [7.6m diameter]
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Service Tunnel [4.8m diameter]
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Cross Passage Door
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Eurotunnel Freight Shuttle
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Eurotunnel Passenger Shuttle
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Class 373 (Eurostar) Train
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Class E320 (Eurostar) Train (in service November 2015)
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
National Freight Trains
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Channel Tunnel and SRT TSI
The design of the CT is different from the requirements of the Safety in Railway Tunnel (SRT) TSI for very long tunnels (more than 20 km long):
The service tunnel provides a good level of safety and is not compulsory in SRT TSI.
The running tunnels have continuous water supply throughout, which can be used by fire fighters. This is not required by the SRT TSI
Installation of four “SAFE” (Station d’Attaque du Feu) stations in 2011. These are dedicated to lorry shuttles and freight trains and do not provide enough evacuation facilities to comply with the fire fighting points specified in SRT TSI 1303/2014, clause 4.2.1.7.e
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Rolling stock requirements
All trains for passengers using the tunnel must have a running capability in case of fire of 30 minutes because we want them to keep running and leave the tunnel so that passengers can be evacuated outside the tunnel.
Category B trains (LOC & PAS TSI) only have 15 minutes running capability
Specific case in the LOC & PAS TSI was agreed, on the basis of a risk analysis referring to:
In the worst case it would take 30 minutes for a train on fire to get out of the tunnel
Stopping and evacuating the passengers into the service tunnel would
not provide the equivalent level of safety to taking them out of the tunnel (although it is possible to do so if the train fails)
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Channel tunnel specific case (LOC & PAS TSI)
LOC&PAS TSI 1302/2014, clause 7.3.2.21, provides 2 possibilities for the CT:
Running capability must be 30 minutes at 100 km/h, as usual, OR
Compliance with a national rule permitting some trains with 15 minutes running capability at 80 km/h to use the tunnel
National rule has been defined and issued for consultation which ended on 28 August 2015. Need to assess the risk and maintain the level of safety in the tunnel.
Will require a change in principle – when a fire is identified on a train with only 15 minutes running capability it will have to stop and evacuate immediately as it cannot be guaranteed to reach the end of the tunnel.
Train companies will need to undertake an additional risk analysis to demonstrate the level of safety is improved or maintained.
Need to guarantee the evacuation of passengers into the Service Tunnel within 15 minutes from the fire starting.
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Developments in passenger evacuation arrangements
The existing procedures for evacuating a passenger train:
No real case of application until now:
because of the very high level of safety of these specific passenger trains (Eurostar and ET passengers shuttles)
because there are means of fire extinction inside the engines and the carriages
The standard procedure is to drive the train out of the tunnel to an emergency siding
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Developments in passenger evacuation arrangements
The existing procedures for evacuating a passenger train:
If a train on fire is not able to get out and stops in the tunnel, the passengers have to walk on the sidewalk until the next cross passage door (gap between two CP: 375 m; length of a HST: 400 m; length of a shuttle: 750 m). In a controlled stop the doors of the train align with the CPDs
In an uncontrolled stop the existing procedure for a fire separating the train in two parts is to use the ventilation to provide fresh air to the longest part of the train and to evacuate this part, and then to reverse the ventilation and evacuate the other part of the train
An exercise in January 2014 showed that this procedure takes too much time (1 hour)
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Developments in passenger evacuation arrangements
The search for a new procedure of evacuation:
CTSA commissioned studies to help accelerate the passengers evacuation
The study examined:
Reports from actual fires on passenger trains,
Fire test data,
Human behaviour theories,
Modelled different evacuation procedures
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Developments in passenger evacuation arrangements
The study concluded that:
A number of factors will have an impact on the number of people who will die or be seriously injured at these type of incidents. These factors included: Speed of fire development within the train Human management of the situation Effectiveness of evacuation systems, routes and procedures Quality of information and instruction given to the travelling
public
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Developments in passenger evacuation arrangements
Findings regarding human behaviour included:
Railway operators should develop a standardised information strategy that sets out who gives the information, what information is given, how and how often it is given and in which languages
“Panic”, as people commonly perceives it, eventually turns out to be a much rarer phenomenon than expected when people’s actions are analysed
Existing relationships/roles between individuals are maintained when a situation of evacuation occurs (this means that train staff who are implicitly perceived as authority representatives and knowledgeable individuals are of great importance in the evacuation management).
To be able to cope with this responsibility and to deliver clear information to the public while keeping their composure, train staff have to be well prepared and trained, have a clear definition of their responsibilities and a basic notion of crowd management.
Staff should be equipped with appropriate means of communication and crowd orientation.
During the evacuation of a train, high densities of people are foreseeable. Passengers tend to behave like people surrounding them when suffering from a lack of information, therefore information given to passenger is crucial if particular actions or behaviour are expected from the public.
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Developments in passenger evacuation arrangements
Modelling of different procedures showed it was feasible to evacuate in a single phase rather than reverse the ventilation for two phase evacuation
Use of ‘all doors’ for evacuation was quicker than using ‘end doors’ but more time was spent on the evacuation walkway because it is narrow
Times to reach the Service Tunnel for both methods were equivalent but less exposure to fire products using ‘end doors’
CTSA/IGC will be considering proposals for new procedures based on these findings later in 2015
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Eurotunnel
First Line of Response (FLOR)
Personnel from KFRS & ONET Securitie from 1 January 2013]
Second Line of Response (SLOR)
UK ERO’s
Second Line of Response
(SLOR) French ERO’s
Emergency Response Management
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
FLOR – First Line of Response Patrol the Service Tunnel in Service Tunnel Transportation System
(STTS) vehicles
2 teams of 4 based close to Portals.
Not restricted to mid-point boundary:
Main role: evacuation of passengers + initial fire fighting
UK FR
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Emergency Response Contractors Duties
UK (KFRS) and French (ONET Securitie) FLOR work under
contract to Eurotunnel with the primary duties of:-
- Assisting the train crew with evacuation management.
- Provide first aid treatment for injured casualties
- Provide casualty care and assist train crew with the
transfer of passengers onto an evacuation train.
Both KFRS and SDIS62, have a statutory duty to undertake SLOR
duties regardless of the FLOR contract position.
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
SLOR - Second Line of Response UK & French Emergency Response Organisations (EROs)
Deployment underground via STTS Emergency fleet
UK 2 X SLOR FIRE – Personnel & equipment
2 x Ambulances – Equipment + 2 Stretchers
Communications STTS
FR
2 X SLOR FIRE – Personnel & equipment
2 x Ambulances – 2 x Equipment + Stretchers
Communications STTS
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Channel Tunnel Fires – (Freight Shuttles)
18 November 1996 RT South, Interval 3 (France)
21 August 2006
RT North, Interval 4 (UK) 11 September 2008
RT North, Interval 6 (France)
29 November 2012 Emergency Sidings (France) 17 January 2015 RT North, Interval 4 (France)
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
1996 Fire
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
2006 Fire
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
2008 Fire
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Fire Fighting Operations
The CT presents many challenges:
Access restrictions - transfer of personnel and equipment to the incident scene.
Distance of travel to the incident scene.
Arduous conditions – extreme temperatures and high humidity.
Communications, language.
Small quantities of dangerous goods maybe present
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Cross Border Considerations Different cultures – different approach
Language Training Procedures
Different national processes
CBRN Hazmat
Organisational structures French report to Prefect – UK independent
Equipment
Hose connection Breathing Apparatus
Incident management
Command and control
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Incident Structure
UK FRANCE
INCIDENT
PCO Incident
Co-ordination
Centre
Fire Equipment
Management
Centre
Fire Equipment
Management
Centre
Communications Vehicle
Video Conferencing
Eurotunnel
Rail Control Centre
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
PROJECT SALAMANDER
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
The Two Phases of Project Salamander
Salamander Intervention SAFE
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Fire Fighting Intervention
• Project “Salamander” initiated after the fire on the 11 September 2008
• Developed by a “partnership” approach • Based on six predetermined scenarios • Catenary Earthing procedures • Deployment of water curtains to prevent longitudinal fire spread.
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
FLOR Intervention
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
FLOR Intervention Briefing Diagrams
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Salamander Phase Two - SAFE
• “SAFE” (Stations d’Attaque du Feu) station project
• Partnership approach to developing a innovative system for the future
• Water Mist Fire Suppression System
• Each WMFSS head – 50lpm @ 50Bar
• Still a need for a F&RS intervention to extinguish the fire
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
Fire 17th January 2015
FPST Conference Oslo 23 & 24 September 2015 Channel Tunnel Safety Authority
• 12:00hrs arcing of catenary at UK
portal
• 12:22hrs fire alarm actuated
• Controlled stop of Freight shuttle
• 16km from French portal
• Too late to stop in a SAFE station
• 38 passengers and 3 staff
evacuated to Service Tunnel – no
injuries
• French and UK fire services
responded
• Fire brought under control at
16:40hrs
• RAIB and BEATT investigating
Questions?