Right Ride Transit (RRT) is a transit agency serving a small city in the Midwest. RRT serves its community through a combination of deviated fixed route and general public demand response service.
Mr. Cruz was one of the individuals who provided evacuation assistance to the bus driver.
“My brother and I were putting the stuff we bought at the store in our car when we heard some yelling that seemed to be coming from a small bus parked near us. When we looked up we saw smoke pouring out of the bus. Then we saw a guy who I guessed was the driver leading an older guy down the stairs and out of the bus door. There was still screaming so we knew there were still people on the bus and that’s when we ran over to help. When I got inside the bus to try to get people off of it, it was awful. It was hot , I couldn’t see and the smoke was burning my eyes and it was hard to breathe. Somehow my brother and me and the driver were able to get everyone off. Although one lady injured her leg while that was happening, it sure could have been worse.”
On a cool sunny morning in the Spring of 2010, Ralph Bailey, a new RRT driver just out of training, was operating a body-on-chassis RRT bus in demand response service. After making several stops picking up 7 older adult passengers, he was headed to his normal drop-off point in front of a discount department store. As Ralph pulled into his designated parking zone he noticed considerable smoke coming from the front end engine compartment of the vehicle.
Due to budgetary constraints, management cut the length of new driver training time.
When transit management is faced with the requirement for budget cuts, it is often tempted to reduce infrastructure support activities, such as safety and training programs. The effect of this budget cutting strategy has the potential to weaken the ability of the transit system to provide safe and secure service on the street which can lead to disastrous consequences.
For further information on management’s role in creating a safe and secure infrastructure, please go to the following links:
Example of Vision, Mission, Values statements
Vision, Mission and Goals
Ralph immediately felt a great stress and, unsure of exactly how to respond, he called dispatch and told them of the circumstances. Dispatch told Ralph to check out the situation and radio back with more information while they called the fire department.
The agency did not have specific protocols for dispatch to direct driver fire and evacuation response.
Many transit agencies have not developed a Dispatcher Handbook or other procedures and protocol documents that provide the dispatcher step-by-step actions that should take place during emergency events on transit vehicles.
For further information on management’s role in creating a safe and secure infrastructure, please go to the following links:
RRTA Dispatch Handbook
Dispatcher’s Manual
Sample Emergency Response Protocol for Transit Vehicle Fire
Leaving his passengers on board the vehicle, Ralph grabbed the fire extinguisher in case he needed to put out a fire, ran out to the front of the bus and opened the hood. Lifting the hood fed oxygen to the fire which caused smoke and flame to come through the firewall and into the interior of the bus. Ralph’s passengers began to scream. He dropped the fire extinguisher and ran back into the now smoke filled and partially burning interior of the bus.
Ms. Johnson was a passenger on the bus at the time of the fire.
“I’ve never been so scared in my life. Just as we pulled up at the usual stop in front of the store, I saw the bus driver get on the radio briefly, then jump up from his seat and grab the fire extinguisher. He didn’t say anything to us, so all of us on the bus just sat there waiting and wondering. Then I saw him outside at the front of the bus opening up the hood. That’s when everything broke loose. Suddenly there were flames inside the bus by the front door and the bus was filling up with smoke. Mrs. Henderson sitting across from me began to scream, then we all started screaming. It was almost right away that the smoke got really thick. I heard the driver yell out that he was going to help us off the bus, but I couldn’t see him… I couldn’t see anything. I thought for sure I was going to die.”
He wanted to get his passengers off the vehicle as quickly as possible but remembered the bus had no rear exit door. When he tried the emergency exit windows, they were stuck shut and he was unable to open them. Ralph then realized he had no other option but to evacuate the passengers out the right front door near the most intense location of the fire and smoke.
During the procurement process vehicle specifications did not indicate the need for a rear exit door.
When transit systems develop specifications for vehicles during the procurement process, safety and security concerns may not be the highest priority. Vehicle procurement is an opportunity to take significant steps towards the development of a vehicle fleet that provides a maximum level of safety for transit employees and passengers.
For further information on management’s role in creating a safe and secure infrastructure, please go to the following links:
Standard Bus Procurement Guidelines RFP 2011
KTR 17.1 Jan. 2004 – How Safe Are Your 15-Passenger Vans
CTAA Vehicle Procurement
Pre-trip inspection guidelines did not include ensuring that emergency exit windows could be easily opened if required.
Standard pre-trip inspection guidelines and checklists rarely reflect the responsibility of the driver to ensure that emergency exit windows are in working operation. Transit management should consider building this step into either driver vehicle inspection or maintenance staff vehicle inspection.
For further information on management’s role in creating a safe and secure infrastructure, please go to the following link:
START Program Vehicle Safety Inspections
Since his passengers needed significant assistance getting off the bus, Ralph began to guide them one-by-one out the door through the heavy smoke and past flames. Two individuals nearby who were placing their recent purchases from the department store into their car heard screaming, then saw the smoke coming out of the bus, and ran to assist Ralph in his bus evacuation efforts. Only because of the assistance from these individuals was Ralph able to get all his passengers off the bus without loss of life. Unfortunately, one of the passengers injured her leg during the evacuation process.
As the last passenger was helped off the bus, it was completely engulfed in flames and continued to burn until only the chassis and frame remained. The fire department arrived shortly thereafter but too late to assist in evacuation or to extinguish the fire.
Mr. Bradshaw is a member of the City Council. “You never think something like this can happen in your town. We always thought our transit was safe and a good little system. Now, I don’t know. It looks like they had bad driver training, poor maintenance, and management was completely unprepared for an emergency. They didn’t even issue a press release or let anybody know what had happened for two days. I know I’m not the only one on the City Council that is upset about this. We have requested a full investigation of what led up to this near tragedy. It’s our job on the Council to help make this town a safe place to live. When folks get older or don’t have access to a car, they need that bus, but they’re scared to ride it now. Before this is over, I’m afraid there may be some major changes made at Right Ride Transit.”
Investigation of the cause of the fire indicated it may have started due to a dirty engine compartment with significant residue of built up fluids. Adding to problems for RRT, management was not available to the media and did not issue a statement for two days, creating bad press coverage for the agency. As a result of this event, RRT was investigated in relation to its safety practices, faced significant liability due to passenger injury during the evacuation process, and lost considerable support within the community it serves.
Maintenance staff did not regularly clean bus engine compartments to keep them free of flammable fluid residue build up to reduce the possibility of engine compartment fire.
The transit vehicle cleaning and maintenance function has responsibility for ensuring that transit vehicles put into service present as little fire risk as possible. This responsibility includes ensuring the engine compartment is cleaned periodically to limit buildup of flammable substances.
For further information on management’s role in creating a safe and secure infrastructure, please go to the following links:
Vehicle Maintenance Outline
Maintenance Procedures Manual for City of Columbus, Indiana Transit System
Maintenance Plan
Management did not have a strategy for media relations after a major incident.
When transit managers have not developed procedures and press release templates for interacting with the media and providing information to the public after a major transit accident or incident, timely and effective release of information is negatively impacted. This negative impact can have a long term effect on the reputation of the transit agency in the eyes of the community.
For further information on management’s role in creating a safe and secure infrastructure, please go to the following links:
Crisis Management Public Relations/Public Information Guide – Draft
Media Relations During Crisis
KTR 21.1 Jan. 2008 – Handling the Media During a Crisis
