Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 9:49:18 GMT
I was recently caught up in an early evening evacuation of the Bank/Monument complex - it was necessary due to overcrowding - if anything it came a few minutes too late.
First of all, announcements - what should happen? The first announcement at Bank merely implied that the station was "no entry" - the "all out" message came a little later - would direct "all out" have been possible?
Second, staff. Of course, some will be needed to open the maps with the "station closed" signs in - and possibly to shut them so that people can pass to exit, but it seemed there were few if any staff offering directional advice - "this way is quickest". Some customers, despite both automated and specific announcements, continued to wait around as if nothing was happening. I appreciate there is a lot to do to clear a station but was a little surprised so few staff were reiterating the situation in person.
I had overheard that they were about to close on a staff radio but was committed to entering platform 4 when the announcements started. I therefore continued via the District Line and exited onto Fish Street Hill, proceeding from there to London Bridge - not long after I got there, Bank reopened.
Organised chaos describes it best, I think, but could it have been done better?
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Colin
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Post by Colin on Nov 1, 2008 1:31:46 GMT
First things last.... could it have been done better? Based on what you've said, and without actually being there myself, possibly - at least in terms of the announcements. That said, the start of an evacuation will always generate initial confusion - the situation will usually settle down as it progresses. First of all, announcements - what should happen? At a station like Bank/Monument, a full fire system is in place; all the station supervisor or station control room operator needs to do is activate the 'evacuate' message on the main fire control panel. This will activate the 'Emergency Do Not Enter' signs at the station entrances and brodcast the PA: "Attention please. Due to a reported emergency, would all passengers leave the station immediately. As an aside, I often wonder about the choice of the word passenger when they're supposed to be customers...........anyway, I've digressed... Despite the reluctance of some staff to use this facility, if they're evacuating because of overcrowding, common sense ought to suggest it is an emergency situation. Second, staff. Of course, some will be needed to open the maps with the "station closed" signs in - and possibly to shut them so that people can pass to exit, but it seemed there were few if any staff offering directional advice - "this way is quickest". Some customers, despite both automated and specific announcements, continued to wait around as if nothing was happening. I appreciate there is a lot to do to clear a station but was a little surprised so few staff were reiterating the situation in person. Now that these messages are going out, staff should then begin the process of physically checking the station. There will always be customers who think they know better, but they usually budge eventually. The 5 mph/station closed boards should be sorted out as staff physically check the platforms - and once out, they stay out until trains start stopping again. In terms of numbers of staff and what they should be doing, every single station has an emergency plan which details the minimum staffing levels and what area each member of staff is responsible for during the course of their duty. The emergency plan will detail exactly how staff should systematically clear an area. All station staff have to be familiar with these plans and have to sign a station familiarisation checklist every six months. In addition, all station staff have to take part in a 'mock evacuation' at least annually. Given the complexity of the Bank/Monument complex, and the fact it was the evening peak, I can't say I'd relish the thought of having to do an evacuation; I'm sure it most likely went quite smoothly overall despite your viewpoint. When I was on the stations at Earls Court, we could evacuate the station in a matter of minutes with just 5 staff (5 was the minimum staffing number) - I wouldn't be at all surprised if Bank/Monument are in a similar position (especially now that staffing levels have been reduced across the combine). One of my most memorable incidents at Earls Court was when we were told a Picc train was coming in on the Eastbound, "possibly on fire". It was evening peak on a weekday with extra people passing through for football at Stamford Bridge (Fulham Broadway station) and a Madonna concert at Earls Court. The station supervisor took the decision to evacuate the whole station as a precaution - we did it in 4 minutes with, at the time, just 6 staff. Quite an achievement! In fact now that I think back, once you know your station (as a member of station staff), doing an evacuation is actually very easy... EDIT: btw, the picc train never was on fire - it turned out to rubbish on the track smoldering just outside platform limits in the tunnel  ;D ;D |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2008 12:13:00 GMT
There was one member of staff putting out the Station Closed sign on platform 4 but he had to swing the sign shut to allow people (me included) to pass.
It did seem to be quite smooth after all - though the initial "Due to a reported emergency"... message that implied only no entry was confusing and I would have thought it was possible and correct to go straight to evacuate, which you confirm.
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;D ;D
