WEST BARNSTABLE – A passenger rail train was evacuated Saturday, but no one was injured.
It was part of a drill attended to by Barnstable and Yarmouth fire and police departments, the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, Massachusetts Department of Transportation Security and Emergency Management (MassDOT), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and others.
The operation’s scenario was that of a passenger rail train derailment with 80 volunteer “victims” needing evacuation and treatment.
Director of Security and Emergency Management for MassDOT Rob Creedon said it allowed all of the involved departments to better communicate and test emergency best practices.
“It’s about working with the local first responders, and with passenger rail service coming back to the Cape, we thought this was an important thing,” he said.
The coordinated exercise comes on the heels of a new pilot program which will bring a Boston-bound commuter rail service back to Buzzards Bay.
Creedon said MassDOT was approached by Cape departments to hold the drill.
Both he and Barnstable Fire Chief Frank Pulsifer said that it went quite successfully.
About CapeCod.com NewsCenter
Speak Your Mind