Cranbourne SES volunteers joined Hastings SES for an emergency training exercise on the heritage rail line at Moorooduc.
On Monday 17 November, the training brought together more than 60 people, including up to 30 Hastings SES members, four from Cranbourne SES, and more than 20 volunteers from Mornington Tourist Railway.
Hastings SES section leader Silvana Hobley said the joint exercise simulated a sudden emergency stop on the historic train, requiring a full passenger evacuation.
“The whole idea was for us to be in a position where we would simulate a training session. If a real-life emergency did happen, we would be prepared for it, and that’s basically what the training was all about,” she said.
“We’re always following our standard operating procedures. There are emergency strategies in place all the time, and that’s why we get continuous training.
“In this instance, the simulation was that the train had to stop in an emergency. It didn’t crash or anything, but it actually had to stop suddenly, and we had to evacuate passengers off the train.”
Ms Hobley noted that a lot of the carriages of the train varied from 80 years old to 120 years old, and they were maintained in a beautiful condition.
The members took away a lot from the training, and they were hoping to have it again next year, Ms Hobley said.
Mornington Tourist Railway said on its Facebook page that it was “proud to support their local volunteer emergency services” by providing its heritage carriages and operational insight for the drill.
