The Fire Brigade is training for the LHC

The CERN Fire Brigade really is unique. Its mission is made even more difficult by the fact that it must be capable of responding to situations underground, in many kilometres of tunnels and dozens of shafts. These specialist skills have to be honed in preparation for LHC commissioning.

With a view to meeting these requirements, the "Preparing for the LHC" training course was held for the second time on 23 and 24 May. "The aim of the course is to allow the Fire Brigade to familiarise itself with and use all the resources available in the event of a problem in the tunnel", explains Gilles Colin, who is in charge of training for the CERN Fire Brigade.

The two-day programme is designed to train fire Brigade members in the techniques used to free and release trapped victims. Through a series of theoretical sessions and practical exercises, six members of the Fire Brigade learnt how to use various tools that can be used to lift collapsed structures and to cut iron, aluminium or wood. The course was also attended by members of the Geneva Fire Brigade, who demonstrated how to use a burning bar, a tool that can be used to cut large blocks of materials such as concrete.

The training course concluded with a rescue exercise at Point 8. The scenario: a victim is trapped under scaffolding in the LHCb cavern. In order to save him, the Fire Brigade must apply all the techniques and make use of all the tools covered by the training course. "These courses are important, as they allow the members of the fire Brigade to train in near-real conditions, especially in the tunnels", underlines Gilles Colin. The CERN Fire Brigade is planning further training courses, notably on cryogenics and electricity in the tunnel.