Train 'disaster' drill Wednesday in Oceanside 12/12/12

Ar ticle

OCEANSIDE — An emergency drill simulating a Coaster vs. freight train crash is scheduled for Wednesday morning in Oceanside and may be visible to drivers in the area, according to the North County Transit District. The training is set for 10 a.m. to noon near the Fallbrook Junction area, near Interstate 5 and Harbor Drive. Two train cars, smoke and hazardous materials will be used in the drill, the district said. Crews from the Oceanside Fire Department and other first responders will participate in the training, as will contractors from NCTD and Metrolink. The public will not be allowed access to the area.

I know members get excited when there are disaster drills, so I figured I post this one, especially since its so close to home.

The location they are using is real close to the freeway, so anyone driving by could see what's going on.
One thing for sure, traffic on the 5 will be backed up.

Edit: Sorry mods I think got this in the wrong forum. Please move to appropriate forum
Thank you

Let's hope that there are no false flags flying during this drill.

The idea that they are using real 'hazardous materials' is a bit disturbing. Could they not give a heads up to what kind of materials they are talking about?

Let's also hope no one has to once again ask "Is this real world or exercise?".

Oops. Sorry, there I go. Time to put the paranoid back in the cage.

reply to post by Observationalist


OHHH

If the 'drill' turns out to be the real deal then there was a payoff.

Clean Harbors recently (a couple of months back) aquired Safety Kleen and this would be a good 'test'.

reply to post by Observationalist


You may want to keep your windows closed tomorrow.

As I was thinking about this and the potential ramifications of a train disaster so close to the freeway, I realized that If I-5 is cut off at Oceanside then Sandiegans are basically trapped with only one major northbound route I-15.
There is one major east bound route and that is I-8. South is Mexico and west is the Pacific Ocean.

If there were to be a disaster, it would be pretty easy to contain the SanDiego population.



reply to post by TheLieWeLive

There are only a few articles on this, they all provide the same limited information, I'm about 30 min east but still concerned about the hazardous materials. The location is real close to the harbor, and hotels.

Here is a press release from the North County Transit Department

Im horrible at managing my threads. Here is an update if anyone cares.

I did see one conflict, the original announcement said they were going to use hazardous material, but in this article, describing what happend at the site it says they did not use any hazardous materials.

Train Disaster Drill

During the carefully planned 40-minute drill, firefighters scoured the train for ‘injured’ passengers (played by volunteers) and escorted them off the vehicle.

The training was methodical and precise, with responders huddling together after placing every ladder and escorting every victim.

At one point, firefighters (who participated from city departments across North County) secured a dummy to a gurney on the Coaster’s second floor, eased the contraption out a window, lowering it safely to the ground with a rope and steady hands.

The simulation was no Hollywood event. There was no fake blood, no sirens blaring or smoke or hazardous materials flowing from the train.

The Coaster train remained upright and motionless alongside two freight cars during the drill, which took place in a track yard alongside the main coastal railway, just north of Oceanside near Harbor Drive.

Officials said Wednesday’s drill was a learning experience, one that emphasized safety over urgency.