On June 13, firefighters from the Longueuil agglomeration fire department faced the worst case scenario related to the arrival of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) on their territory: the evacuation of a stationary train Samuel De Champlain Bridge.
“The worst-case scenario is a train that is stuck on the Champlain Bridge [et] carry out an emergency evacuation on the bridge,” testifies Daniel Deslauriers, chief of operations at the Longueuil agglomeration fire safety service (SSIAL), responsible for training on the REM.
It was the REM central control station (PCC) in Brossard that called 911 in the evening. “We sent all the personnel that were requested at that time,” says Mr. Deslauriers. “We really triggered a real call, ‘the CCP calls 911.’ The only thing mentioned [cette fois-là], is that it is a simulation. »
The breakdown, it will be understood, was fictitious.
The REM trains that currently run between the South Shore and downtown Montreal in “dry running” (without passengers) have not suffered such damage. However, firefighters must be prepared to deal with this new infrastructure in Quebec.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Jean Melançon, director of the Longueuil agglomeration fire safety service, in front of the Du Quartier station in Brossard.
“We put it in the risk coverage plan [qui comprend] all the risks on the territory”, explains the director of the SSIAL, Jean Melançon.
We have to prepare, as we do for the metro, as we do for tall buildings.
Jean Melançon, director of the Longueuil agglomeration fire safety service
The fire safety services of the cities crossed by the REM have therefore developed joint training. “We work very closely with Montreal. We have no choice: right in the middle of the Champlain Bridge, we cross paths,” explained Mr. Deslauriers, who met with Mr. Melançon near the new network, in Brossard.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
A REM train crossing the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge in April. The emergency evacuation of a train stuck on the bridge, the “worst case scenario”, was simulated by emergency services last month.
The Montreal Fire Department (SIM) also participated in the June 13 simulation, like other stakeholders, including the Sûreté du Québec. The operation requiring the closure of two lanes in both directions was held at 10 p.m. for one hour to minimize the impact on traffic.
Another simulation carried out on a REM platform “estimated at four to six minutes” the time needed to evacuate a two-thirds occupied train.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Daniel Deslauriers, Chief of Operations and Head of REM Training at the Longueuil Agglomeration Fire Safety Department
“So on the bridge, [l’opération] would be done in a few minutes”, after which the passengers “are evacuated, so they are no longer in danger”, assures Mr. Deslauriers. Passengers would exit through a door onto a catwalk at train level, where a bus, for example, could pick them up.
As the trains are still supervised by the checkpoint, passengers would hear instructions – “a bit like in the metro”, recalls Mr. Melançon.
However, such an evacuation would only take place as a very last resort.
“It would take a release of smoke inside the train,” says Mr. Deslauriers. Otherwise, “even if the train stops – if there is, for example, a power failure – it is autonomous in terms of electricity and ventilation. So the people who are inside are not in danger in the short term”.
Sixty more firefighters
Longueuil firefighters participated in two other simulations with REM trains. These scenarios included in particular “smoke” in a device used for training, and “people asking for assistance”, as would injured people or people with reduced mobility.
One of the scenarios took place in a station, the other in an aerial portion of the network.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
A REM train speeds along an elevated section, near the Brossard station.
If these somewhat futuristic-looking rails stand out in the landscape, “for [les pompiers], it’s really not very high, it’s not a problem”, notes the head of operations. “Our ladder is able to easily go 110 feet” while the rails are “about thirty feet”, a height comparable to that of an overpass.
“We already have the equipment, but we are adding staff in the coming months, next year, to be able to cope, not just with the REM, but with all the development that you see”, explains Mr. Melançon.
High-rise constructions, such as the Solar district near DIX30 in Brossard, require resources. And the REM is expected to amplify the movement.
It is certain that the population density will explode with the REM, it is undeniable. A development of this importance will move people, so more people, more risks, that comes with it.
Daniel Deslauriers, Chief of Operations of the Longueuil Agglomeration Fire Safety Department
The risk coverage plan recently approved by Quebec provides for the hiring of 60 additional firefighters over the next five years in the Longueuil agglomeration, including 8 in 2023-2024.
Newer homes, filled with synthetic materials that burn faster, add to the challenges.
“A fire develops eight times faster than in the 1970s, releases twice as much heat and three times as much smoke”, illustrates the head of operations.
A room-wide conflagration, which in the 1970s could take about 29 minutes, now takes just over 3 minutes, he says. And it can go even faster in the presence of lithium batteries, such as are found in electric bicycles and scooters.
“Hence the importance of having a good number of firefighters in the barracks: it’s essential because the fire is developing so quickly that we can’t wait any longer. »