Metro Crash and Response
I’m sure most of you heard about the Metro crash in Washington, DC yesterday. I used to live in DC, though I didn’t ride the Metro much, and I can really picture this scene vividly.
First and foremost, I want to express sympathy for the families of those who were killed and to the survivors and their families. This was a terrible accident.
Officials are now beginning the long process of figuring out what happened. They are reporting a few things: that one of the trains was made up with very old cars that should’ve been updated or replaced, and that this was known before the crash occured; the trains may or may not have been operating in automatic mode, which is meant to be a safety feature; there is the possibility of operator error as a factor. My hope, there, is that they create a really thorough report and list of recommendations, and that they follow them. This is the sort of thing we attempt to do with exercises, to avoid the loss of life, but when we do have a tragedy, the aftermath is incredibly important.
It doesn’t look as though volunteers were involved in the resonse at all. And of course, they couldn’t be the ones cutting the train cars apart and pulling people out. But if you were trapped in a train car, wouldn’t you rather be with someone who was CERT-trained, who knew first aid and how to get very heavy objects moved?
I also read somewhere that the police had a problem controlling the crowds of onlookers. That could’ve been a great job for a ready-to-go CERT team in their neon vests so the police could’ve focused on things that only police can do. (Other organized volunteers could do the same thing — Sheriff’s volunteers, VIPs, etc.) But it takes a strong working relationship before the emergency.
I will continue to follow this story as it unfolds. My thoughts are with everyone affected.
