Fire and rescue exercise for traffic accident in underwater tunnel of new campus of University of Macau at Hengqin
A fire and rescue exercise for traffic accident was jointly held by Fire Services, Transport Bureau, Public Security Police Force, University of Macau and the underwater tunnel management company in the underwater tunnel of the new campus of the University of Macau at Hengqin in the early hours of 19 August 2017. The exercise was intended to strengthen coordination and communication capacities between Fire Services and related departments for underwater tunnel incident, in order to enhance emergency response for similar incidents and operation efficiency of Fire Services personnel.
The exercise simulated an incident in the traffic lane between number 10 and 11 emergency exits of the underwater tunnel (Taipa bound). On the scene, a private car hit the roadside and its front was smoke logged and on fire subsequently. The driver was trapped inside the car. The incident was captured on the video footage of the underwater tunnel control room, and Fire Services was called immediately and the respective fire system was activated. On receipt of the emergency call, Fire Services immediately dispatched emergency vehicles to the site according to the respective operation plan. The fire crew attended the scene and found that the fire was brought under control by the fire system. The crew attacked the fire with hose reel and rescued the trapped driver, who was then sent to the hospital for treatment. During the exercise, Public Security Police Force were on the scene to assist in the rescue operation, including implementing temporary traffic control to the traffic lanes of the underwater tunnel and temporary access control to the entrance and exit portals of the pedestrian tube, while helping to remove the affected vehicle from the site.
In this exercise, Fire Services deployed 7 fire engines and 26 firefighters, while Public Security Police Force dispatched 9 police vehicles and 11 police officers. The exercise lasted for about one hour. The process was smooth in general and achieved the desired results. After the exercise, the related departments jointly held a review meeting in order to improve and optimize coordination capacity for handling similar incidents in the future.
