GREENBELT, Md. — This weekend, Metro held its first full-scale training exercise since the deadly smoke incident at L’Enfant Plaza in January.
On Sunday, an emergency drill held at the Greenbelt Metro were the first in a series of training exercises being held this year.
The goal is to test and improve the preparedness of first-responding personnel. The exercise was conducted by Metro Transit Police and the Prince George’s Fire/EMS departments.
Sunday’s drill involved a disabled train north of the Metro station; it had to be evacuated with about 18 to 20 passengers were on board. Two of the passengers had special needs; one passenger was visually impaired and the other had limited mobility.
Firefighters and police converged on the station. After making it to the platform, they made sure the third rail was de-engergized before firefighters went down the tracks to rescue the passengers.
“In this case it’s a little bit slower,” says county fire chief Marc Bashoor. “We get to practice. Frankly, this is where we make mistakes. This is where we get to learn.”
An after-action report from Sunday’s emergency drill will be released to agencies that participated in the exercise, says Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Battalion Chief James Reilly.
From that, he says, officials will look at the lessons learned and incorporate best practices into their everyday operations.
