A passenger train collides with a tanker containing sulphuric acid, leaving six people dead and more than half a dozen others seriously injured: thankfully these sort of incidents are few and far between but it is crucial that the emergency services are ready and able to handle them when they do occur. Dozens of firefighters from throughout West Yorkshire were called to deal with the nightmare scenario - one of the regular large scale exercises carried out by the brigade - on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway yesterday. Telegraph & Argus reporter Ian Lewis went along to Ingrow Station to watch the exercise unfold and volunteer for a stint, above, as one of the 'live' victims in the stricken passenger carriage.

IT'S THE kind of incident every firefighter prays he or she will never have to deal with.

A call to a rail crash site where a passenger train has been hit by a locomotive pulling a tanker full of sulphuric acid, resulting in fatalities, multiple injuries and a chemical hazard.

Many firefighters will go through their whole careers without being involved in such a disaster.

But it is critical that they and the senior officers who 'manage' such large-scale incidents on the ground are ready and able to cope if called upon.

Accident conditions can never be re-created with anything approaching the full horror of a real incident but regular large-scale exercises are carried out with as much realism as possible.

The latest was centred on an 'incident' near Ingrow Station on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, which is more used to carrying tourists.

The scenario involved dealing with the aftermath of a collision between a passenger train travelling from Haworth and a tanker containing acid.

The 'accident' left firefighters facing three distinct incident areas or sectors.

The passenger carriage - containing six dummies representing the fatalities and seven 'live' casualties who were suffering everything from a heart attack to badly gashed arms and legs - was left waiting for help on the track on the Haworth side of the tunnel at Ingrow.

The 'leaking' tanker was in the tunnel itself while its locomotive, with an injured crew member on board and driver trapped underneath the rails, was on the Keighley side of the station.

The rescue operation was set in motion when Roger France - chairman of the railway's joint management committee - raised the alarm from the station.

Crews from Bingley, Silsden and Illingworth were first on the scene a few minutes later and as the magnitude of the disaster unfolded the incident escalated from a First Alarm incident - one involving up to five appliances - to a Fourth Alarm involving 11 and above.

A command support unit, from which the operation was co-ordinated, was established and eventually some 15 appliances and more than 80 firefighters from as far away as Huddersfield and Dewsbury were on the scene.

Firefighters working in Sector One cut the locomotive's stricken driver from under the rails.

Colleagues manning the hazardous materials unit donned protective suits to seal the leaking tanker and neutralise the spilt acid.

Meanwhile firemen wearing breathing apparatus boarded the smoke-filled passenger carriage.

There they assessed the condition of those on board, prioritised the casualties and began treating them before getting them off the train.

Keighley's station commander Assistant Divisional Officer John Davies - who organised the exercise - said: "Incidents of this magnitude don't happen very often thank God but we still need to make sure we're prepared in case they do.

"We can't simulate the real thing perfectly but this is the closest we can get to it.

"The brigade does at least four large scale exercises like this - as well as smaller ones - a year to test different procedures, different pieces of equipment and the management of incidents in different scenarios.

"What we were really concentrating on here was casualty handling for firefighters and managing the resources required for such a major incident on the ground.

"Fifteen fire engines take some looking after - they have to be in the right place at the right time and with the right equipment.

"Sometimes the situation isn't as clear cut as it first appears to be - for example with the passenger carriage being some distance away from the other scenes of operation.

"It's all about prioritising and making sure we make an overall assessment of the incident ground before committing resources to what might not be the most serious centre of operations."

He added: "It went very well but we learn a tremendous amount from these exercises and some training needs will have been identified from this.

"It's also given the railway a chance to test their emergency plan which seemed to work okay.''

A team of fire service assessors observed the operation and once their reports and those of the officers taking part have been completed there will be a full de-briefing.

Mr Davies said: "We'll get together to discuss the report and talk about whether there are any implications and if we could have done things any better.''

Batley-based Leading Firefighter Tim Leddy, who was involved in the rescue operation from the passenger carriage, said: "I've never been to a rail incident but this has given us an insight into how one would be run.''

His colleague Firefighter David Fenton added: "We're used to all the routine things that we do day in day out - things like this you might only deal with once or twice in your career so it's important to take part in something like this. It's a learning thing.''

Mr France said: "It's been a really valuable exercise for us and we'll have learned a lot from it.

"It was a chance to test the communications system between us and the fire brigade as well as our internal one.

"It's demonstrated how important it is to explain the geography of the site and to be able to give them maps and plans as soon as they arrive.

"We've tested our emergency procedures - things like putting warning detonators on the track to make sure nothing else comes along and runs into them - and are satisfied that it works.

"We've never had an accident like this before but are very safety conscious and always reviewing our rule book and safety procedures.''

I was heart victim who 'survived' to tell tale

Having volunteered to be a 'victim' for the morning, I knew I would be walking away with nothing more serious than a few stains from the fake blood plastered over my face.

Nevertheless, as our carriage filled with smoke following the 'crash', reality was suspended for a short while.

I had 'suffered' a heart attack, hurt my neck and cut my head. Things were not good and I wanted rescuing - fast.

Everything happened in a matter of minutes but the wait for help to reach the stricken carriage seemed to last an eternity.

Vision was hampered by the smoke, fellow 'victims' were shouting out in 'pain' and, looking out of the window, nobody was yet in sight.

It was during that short wait for help that you gain a tiny insight into some of the thoughts that must go through the minds of real-life victims - will help ever get here, what's wrong with me, will I be all right, what about my family?

And although it was all make believe, there was still a sense of relief when help did arrive.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus boarded the carriage and made an initial assessment of the casualties.

I was found slumped forward in a window seat barely conscious, unable to respond to any questions and my face covered in blood.

Around me were six other 'live' victims - played by firefighters from Keighley - some conscious, others unconscious and suffering from a range of injuries as well as half a dozen dummies representing fatalities. Many of my fellow survivors were crying out in pain and shouting for help and the air was full of the sound of crackling radios.

But despite their pleas for immediate treatment it was quickly established that my condition was life-threatening and I was assessed as a priority.

The firemen radioed for assistance and I was soon tended to by Batley-based firefighters Dave Jones and Tim Dyson.

They quickly established I had a pulse but had suffered a suspected heart attack and was deteriorating fast.

Having suffered suspected whiplash, the firemen immobilised my neck with a special collar. It was also established the blood covering my face came from superficial cuts.

An oxygen mask was placed over my face to aid my breathing but with my condition getting worse by the second a decision was taken to get me off the train as soon as possible.

My two rescuers carried me through the carriage to a door where I was lowered more than five feet to their waiting colleagues, Leading Firefighter Tim Leddy and Firefighter David Fenton.

They took me to a nearby trackside casualty clearance area where an automated external defibrillator was used to re-start my heart.

In a real-life situation paramedics would have been involved with my treatment and it would have been from the clearance area that I would have been whisked off to hospital by a waiting ambulance.

My life saved I was then free to cover the rest of the incident - as a reporter.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.