Introduction –Role OF On Board Staff:
In case fire on the train, typical time available for rescue is 2-3 minutes before smoke fills up and passengers start getting disoriented. Smoke (toxic/non-toxic) can cause suffocation and loss of consciousness in two minutes. Fire in personal clothing causes loss of consciousness in 10-15 seconds and Deaths or incapacitation (followed by death) can happen in five minutes. A fire in train destroys the train carriage(s) completely in a few minutes.
In most of the cases, relief reaches a burning train when the carriages are completely burnt and passengers dead or badly burnt. Under such situation, the role of on-board Railway servants becomes vital and they should plunge into action to save the precious lives on priority. In this context, the Railway servants are expected to have a basic knowledge of fire and firefighting methods.
It is desired that the role of onboard staff need to be communicated through various training programs.