Metro News Release
For immediate release: May 17, 2004
Metro’s May safety spotlight issue of the month:
Metro and local first responders always stay prepared with Metro’s emergency training facility
Two years ago this week, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) opened its Emergency Response Training Facility located inside Metro’s Carmen E. Turner Maintenance and Training Facility in Landover, MD. In two years, over 2,600 personnel and 17 local and national first responding agencies have utilized this facility, making it an overwhelming, but important success for all involved.The emergency response training tunnel was built to provide a realistic tunnel environment for fire, police, and emergency rescue services to train and hone their response and rescue skills. It offers a controlled (and safer) environment in which emergency response teams train. Previously, most drills and exercises were held inside Metrorail facilities during nonrevenue hours. They typically occurred in the middle of the night when power to the electrified third rail was turned off. The training exercise sometimes delayed track maintenance or other pre-scheduled work on the rails and in tunnels. Since the facility opened, the following first responder agencies have trained at the facility:
- District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department
- Fairfax County Fire and Rescue
- Montgomery County Fire and Rescue
- Alexandria Fire and Rescue Services
- Arlington County Fire Department
- City of Falls Church Fire Department
- Metropolitan Airports Authority Fire Department
- Prince George’s County Fire and Rescue Services
- Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office Joint Terrorism Task Force
- FBI Hostage Rescue Team
- Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)
- Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
- Federal Protective Service
- Pentagon Force Protective Agency
- Marine Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF)
- Walter Reed Army Hospital Fire Department.
- 260 foot tunnel (13,000 square foot facility
- Two (2) 75 foot rail cars)
- Classrooms - white boards - power point - VCR’s 30 person capacity)
- Mock 3rd rail power source and running rails
- Dry standpipe system)
- Turnout switch - operational)
- Lighting (emergency, standard and flood)
- Camera’s and monitors
- Control Room for monitoring, control and debriefing
- Theatrical capabilities - simulated smoke, flames, lights, heat
- Fire Extinguisher Training Simulator
- Video tape capabilities
- Video tape development - Training Videos
News release issued on May 17, 2004.