Vancouver Metro Tunnel & Rail Response Guide

You get one chance to set the tone on a tunnel or rail job: control power and smoke, then move people. Everything else flows from that. Here’s the Vancouver-ready playbook that crews can actually run on the platform, in the portal, or 600 meters inside a tube.

What makes Vancouver rail and tunnel incidents different

Vancouver’s network mixes elevated guideway, cut-and-cover segments, and deep tubes with long, constrained egress. Trains are frequent, headways are short, and platforms are tight. That means:

• Traction power is a primary hazard. Treat the third rail and wayside equipment as energized until the rail operator confirms isolation and you receive a hard “power off, safe to access” with location and track IDs.
• Smoke movement dominates survivability. Fans, shafts, and train-induced piston effect can channel smoke fast. Early ventilation decisions determine visibility, heat, and toxic exposure.
• Long, narrow egress. Passengers will default to the direction of light and staff. Your wayfinding, lighting, and escort teams must be deliberate.
• Interagency choreography. Fire, BCEHS, transit operations, and police must lock into one ICS rhythm not four separate plays.

Standards and frameworks to anchor your SOPs:

• NFPA 130 (Fixed Guideway Transit and Passenger Rail Systems) for life safety, egress, fire protection, and emergency ventilation design intent.
• WorkSafeBC OHS Regulation (Confined Spaces & Rescue) for expectations when fire departments are relied upon for entry rescue and written agreements.
• BCEHS Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) doctrine for triage, zones, and patient flow when trains are full at peak hour.
• Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) for dangerous goods on intersecting mainline rail corridors and support roads near portals and stations.

Bottom line: confirm traction power status first, shape smoke, establish egress and triage, and run a single, clean ICS with the rail operator embedded at Command.

First-arriving officer game plan

Objective: make the tunnel or rail environment predictable within 5 minutes of arrival.

2465. Declare command early. Establish geographic command (“Dunsmuir Command” or “Olympic Village Command”), identify access points (portal, vent shaft, station entrances), and request an Operations section if the incident is growing.
2466. Get the rail operator at your elbow. Assign a Transit Liaison at Command with a direct line to the rail control center for traction power, train holds, track authorization, CCTV, and ventilation system actions.
2467. Fix the big three:
      • Traction power: request isolation for the specific segment or track, and do not advance onto or across track until you receive confirmed “power off” with segment limits.
      • Smoke control: order a ventilation mode (supply or exhaust) consistent with your attack/evacuation path.
      • Egress control: pick your direction of travel, light it, staff it, and keep it moving.
2468. Define zones: Hot (track/walkway inside tunnel), Warm (platform edge, portal threshold), Cold (exterior triage/transport).
2469. Announce the strategy in simple language: “Power-down in progress, exhaust to the east, evacuating west to Station A, BCEHS triage at west concourse.”

ICS you can actually run underground

Command (Fire IC) with Transit Liaison embedded.
Operations directs four functional groups:

• Power/Track Safety Group – Confirms power isolation with the rail operator, deploys track spotters, places physical trip-stops or barricades where applicable, and enforces no-go zones.
• Ventilation/Smoke Group – Coordinates fixed fans, PPV assist, and monitors CO/HCN/CO₂/visibility; updates Command on tenability.
• Evacuation/Search Group – Guides passengers toward designated exits or cross-passages, conducts rapid primary search of train cars/platforms/tubes.
• Medical Group (BCEHS Unified Lead) – Sets up MCI structure, treatment areas, and transport cadence; requests additional resources early.

Planning manages situation status, floor/tunnel plans, and timelines.
Logistics brings batteries, lights, rehab, spare air, and extra medical kits into the warm zone.
Safety Officer should have railway/tunnel familiarity; appoint an Assistant Safety (Track) if possible.

Power isolation: the bright line you don’t cross

Treat every rail as energized until proven otherwise. The rail operator controls traction power; you control movement. Validate three things before stepping off the safe walkway:

Power isolation cross-check

Rules of engagement

• No stepping onto ballast, between rails, or across tracks until Command announces “Power confirmed isolated for [segment], safe to access.”
• Use the designated walkway wherever available.
• Expect residual stored energy, moving equipment, and automatic features (e.g., doors, ventilation dampers).

Smoke and ventilation: pick a side and commit

You have two goals: keep survivable spaces clear and create a workable envelope for crews. Whether you lean on fixed tunnel fans or add PPV, pick a direction and enforce it.

Ventilation modes quick guide

Tenability benchmarks (operational)

• Visibility for self-rescue (aim for >10–15 m to signage).
• CO and HCN trending down; communicate numbers at 5–10 minute intervals.
• Temperature tolerable in evac path; crews in proper PPE and on air.

Evacuation and search: disciplined movement beats speed

People don’t run well in smoke. They follow light, sound, and a confident escort.

• Light the path. Deploy high-output portables and chemlights on the walking side.
• Staff the bends. Put a rescuer every 30–50 meters at curves and junctions to “hand off” groups.
• Use cross-passages. Move laterally when a longitudinal route is not tenable; announce the plan on the PA if available.
• Search the trains first. Primary search on cars at the incident scene, then walk the consist. Use door overrides with the rail operator if needed.
• Count as you go. Section leaders radio headcounts at each landmark (signage, cross-passage numbers, emergency phones).

Evacuation kit essentials

• Extra headlamps and scene lights
• High-visibility paddles or wands
• Door tools compatible with rolling stock
• Portable public-address or loudhailer
• Chemlights and chalk/grease pencils for markings

Medical operations with BCEHS: build the lane early

A full commuter train can mean dozens of smoke-inhalation patients plus traumatic injuries from falls. Go early on MCI and make the lanes simple.

Triage and flow pattern

• Warm zone triage point at station concourse or portal threshold.
• Treatment areas (Immediate/Delayed/Minor) just outside the station envelope, upwind of exhaust.
• Transport lane: one direction in, one out; police manage traffic.
• Decon if implicated by products of combustion or extinguishing agents; keep it brisk but real.

Communication rhythm with BCEHS

• Initial report: estimated passenger count, conditions, hazards, rendezvous.
• Every 10 minutes: updated patient counts by category, additional resource requests, hospital notifications (via BCEHS).
• Air management and rehab for responders set by Logistics.

Tools and equipment that actually matter underground

Fire side

• TICs with high dynamic range
• Gas meters (CO, HCN, O₂, LEL) with spare sensors/batteries
• High-output lighting and tripods
• Lightweight PPV with long ducting and door cones
• Irons and rail-compatible forcible entry/door kits
• Spare cylinders staged at portal/concourses

Transit/rail side (with Liaison)

• Track access keys and door tools
• Train door control devices/keys
• Rail radio handsets compatible with control center
• Power isolation confirmation forms or digital logs
• Station fan control access and CCTV feeds

Medical

• Multi-patient airway/oxygen kits
• Pulse oximeters and CO-oximetry if available
• Burn sheets, evac chairs, and stair chairs
• MCI triage tags and treatment tarps

Interagency SOPs: the choreography

Fire IC + Transit Liaison

• Jointly confirm power isolation, train holds, ventilation orders, and evacuation direction.
• Liaison relays live CCTV intel: seated passengers remaining, blocked doors, smoke migration.
• Rail operator preserves control‐room logs for AAR.

Fire + BCEHS

• Unified Medical Group leadership at the warm/cold boundary.
• Share the same patient count board; use common triage language.
• Decide early if you need a second treatment site on the opposite portal.

Police

• Site security, cordons, crowd control, and transport route integrity.
• Family reunification space near but not inside the treatment area.

Public Information

• One spokesperson, one message: power status, evacuation progress, injuries, reroutes.
• Avoid language that implies cause before investigation.

Decision model you can speak over the radio

Say this over the air in your own words:

10926. “We’re isolating traction power for [segment] now; no one on the track or ballast.”
10927. “Exhausting smoke to the east; we’re escorting evacuees west to Station A.”
10928. “BCEHS is setting treatment at the west concourse; police, hold the road for transport.”
10929. “Primary search of the train is complete; secondary underway platform to portal.”
10930. “We’re in overhaul; ventilation at low exhaust and meters are improving.”

Keep it short. Everyone underground is listening for direction.

Checklists you can print and laminate

First-Due Company Checklist

• Announce command, location, and access point.
• Request Transit Liaison to Command.
• Order traction power isolation for the exact segment.
• Choose ventilation mode and announce evac direction.
• Establish hot/warm/cold zones; request BCEHS MCI if train is crowded.
• Deploy lights, evac markers, and assign a track spotter.
• Begin primary search on the train and platform.

Operations Section Chief Checklist

• Stand up Power/Track, Ventilation, Evac/Search, and Medical Groups.
• Confirm read-back of power isolation limits.
• Approve ventilation configuration; prevent short-circuiting.
• Assign cross-passage teams if needed; mark progress.
• Maintain 10-minute condition updates and resource requests.

Medical Group Lead (Unified with BCEHS)

• Establish triage at warm zone boundary; mark treatment areas.
• Coordinate patient flow, transport cadence, and hospital notifications.
• Request additional units for stair/evac chairs and O₂ resupply.
• Track counts by category and communicate every 10 minutes.

“Pro Tips” from hard lessons

Pro Tip #1 Don’t chase perfect air, chase survivable air.
If your evacuation path meets visibility and gas targets, hold that configuration. Constantly flipping fan modes to “optimize” can collapse the bubble you created.

Pro Tip #2 Put a rescuer where people hesitate.
Hesitation points are corners, gradients, and dark gaps. Staff them. A calm voice and a light at each bend keeps the column moving.

Pro Tip #3 Treat the last car like a different incident.
Passengers at the far end often get the worst comms and the most smoke lag. Send a dedicated team to the tail with clear orders and a radio check.

Pro Tip #4 Count cylinders like patients.
Long carries burn air. Track crew air just as relentlessly as you count triage tags.

Training evolutions that map to the real thing

• Five-minute command drill: From parking brake to traction power request, ventilation order, and evac direction time it.
• Black-mask line search in a tube: Add hand-offs at 30–50 m with radios and lights, then add “hesitation points.”
• Cross-passage shuttle: Move 40 people through a lateral passage to a parallel tube, then up to a platform with lights off.
• Unified comms table-top: Sit Fire IC, Transit Liaison, BCEHS lead, and Police together; run a compressed scenario on paper with real radio injects.

After-Action Review that improves tomorrow’s job

• Power and protection: How long to verified isolation? Any unauthorized track entries?
• Ventilation effect: What were your visibility and gas trends at 5/10/20 minutes?
• Egress performance: Time to clear train/platform/tunnel. Where did people hesitate?
• Medical flow: Door-to-triage and triage-to-transport intervals. Any choke points?
• Comms: Were orders short, repeated, and consistent with CCTV?
• Data preservation: Did the rail operator save fan and power logs, CCTV clips, and train telemetry for investigation?

Turn lessons into revised cards, not just a report.

Table: Quick-reference tool cache for tunnel responses

Image insert points

Image 1 Featured (insert near top)
Caption: Crews staging at a portal while ventilation exhausts smoke away from the evacuation route.
Alt text: Vancouver tunnel response with crews staging, portal ventilation active.

Image 2 Diagram
Caption: Incident flow: size-up → traction power isolation → ventilation order → evacuation/search → triage/transport → overhaul.
Alt text: Vancouver tunnel incident flow diagram for responders.

Image 3 Station features
Caption: Platform emergency phone and alarm strip locations labeled for quick passenger communication during incidents.
Alt text: SkyTrain platform emergency features labeled for responders.

The 90-second talk-through at Command

• Power isolation requested for [segment]; awaiting control center confirmation.
• Exhaust fans set to [direction]; evac route is [opposite direction].
• Evac/Search moving groups by lighted walkway; cross-passage [ID] staffed.
• BCEHS triage at [location]; police securing transport lane on [street].
• Safety: no ballast or track access until the “power confirmed isolated” call.

Keep this card in the command bag.

Frequently asked questions

How do I decide which way to ventilate?
Follow your evacuation path. Exhaust away from people. If you’re unsure where the fire is, hold fans until you have a visual or TIC confirmation then commit and stick with it unless conditions demand a change.

Can we step onto the track if the train looks dead?
No. Treat rails as energized until the rail operator confirms isolation for your exact segment, you read it back, and Command announces it. Even then, use the walkway and spotters.

What if passengers self-evacuate in the opposite direction?
Open the secondary route only if it won’t collapse your smoke strategy. Assign a small escort element and keep Command updated; don’t split your whole operation.

How fast should we move patients out of the warm zone?
Fast enough to prevent congestion and slow enough to keep counts accurate. A steady stream wins. BCEHS will set the transport cadence.

What do we monitor in overhaul underground?
CO, HCN, visibility, and heat. Keep low-rate exhaust going until numbers are consistently safe and the space is clear.