Humberside and Louth Fire and Rescue teams are now better prepared for a real-life rail disaster following a joint training exercise at the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway.

In the picture above, a horse had supposedly been hit by the moving train near Ludborough Station causing injuries to many of the passengers on board, who were thrown forward in the collision.

The two rescue teams were briefed on arrival and they had a few minutes to plan their response. Eight officers from Louth and seven from Humberside worked together to assess and evacuate passengers and remove the horse.

15 volunteers at Lincolnshire Wolds Railway were asked to play the part of the injured passengers on the train

Another passenger in a wheelchair had to be carried by several firemen from the train along the trackbed to the platform. Others suffered leg fractures.

Afterwards, there was a de-briefing to find out what has been gained from the exercise.

What did the officials say?

Martin Wade, Watch Manager for Humberside Fire and Rescue, said:

“Creating such a scenario on a working railway is extremely difficult and we are grateful to the LWR and the volunteers for helping us stage the training exercise at Ludborough station. From our point of view it was a great opportunity for the Humberside and Louth teams to be able to work together”.

Ken Ballard, who arrived for his first day volunteering there, was dropped in at the deep end. He said:

“When I heard there was a training exercise, I thought we would be practicing putting out fires on the train. Little did I know I would end up being carried off the train on a stretcher!”

Leyland Penn, Chairman of the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway Society, said:

“The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway is delighted to have been able to provide the facilities for the Humberside and Louth Fire & Rescue teams to be able to carry out the training exercise. We want to do all we can to make the railway a safer place and we take the safety of the public who use our trains very seriously. The volunteers have learnt a great deal from this exercise and if an accident were to occur we now know we can safely evacuate passengers”.

• Visit the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway website
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