16 January 2012
Eurotunnel demonstrates effectiveness of new SAFE stations during 22nd BINAT safety exercise
Between 00:30 and 04:30 on Sunday 15 January, Eurotunnel held
its 22nd annual binational safety exercise,
BINAT 22. Emergency services from both Britain and France
were mobilised: firefighters, paramedics, police…. The Lead
Nation in this year's exercise was France.
A fullscale, real-time exercise, BINAT is run at least once
each year to test the planning and preparedness of the French
and British emergency services in the event of an accident
underground in the Channel Tunnel. No other European
infrastructure manager organises an exercise of this scale.
Eurotunnel estimates that each BINAT exercise costs
approximately €200,000.
The 2012 edition simulated a fire on board a truck being
carried on a Shuttle towards the UK, the controlled stop, the
evacuation of the truck drivers, in just a few moments, and
the operation of a SAFE station.
Since the autumn of 2011 the Channel Tunnel has been equipped
with four underground fire fighting stations, known as SAFE
stations. A major safety innovation, the SAFE stations are
capable of detecting and pin-pointing a hot-spot on a Freight
Shuttle and, once the shuttle is brought to a standstill, of
dispersing a targeted water mist which limits fire
propagation by preventing oxygen access and helps to
extinguish it. This automated system in turn facilitates the
access of firefighters. The SAFE stations are 870 metres long
and are situated 28km and 42km from the UK portal in both
running Tunnels.
The BINAT 22 exercise required the mobilisation of
significant resources: 150 personnel from the different
emergency services in the ULK and France, thirty volunteers,
fifteen judges and observers, a Eurotunnel Freight Shuttle,
19 STTS (Service Tunnel Transportation System) vehicles, ….
Michel Boudoussier, Groupe Eurotunnel Deputy Chief Executive, responsible for the Channel Tunnel, stated, "Eurotunnel considers the safety of its customers, staff and the goods transported through the Channel Tunnel to be an absolute priority. The construction of the four SAFE stations, whose effectiveness has been demonstrated during this 22nd BINAT, is proof of our ability to innovate and of our desire to constantly improve the quality of our service."
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Eurotunnel demonstrates effectiveness of new SAFE stations during 22nd BINAT safety exercise 01/16/2012 |