(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

On Monday, 23 Elul, Magen David Adom took part in a training event on the new Jerusalem-Tel Aviv express train line. The drill simulated a major fire on the line, that commuters hope will be operational in the coming weeks, after the Tishrei Yomim Tovim.

After the Yomim Tovim, the high-speed line to Jerusalem is expected to open on Israel Railways. A joint exercise for Israel Railways, the Israel Police, Magen David Adom and the fire department was held on Monday in order to test and evaluate inter-agency cooperation and the ability to deal with emergencies along the line.

As part of the exercise, which was run by the Israel Police, Israel’s national rescue and security forces collaborated together in various scenarios in this line of the Israel Railways, with an emphasis on incidents of fire with casualties that took place on the express line.

A second drill is scheduled for Wednesday, at the Navon Station in Jerusalem, across from the Central Bus Station, simulating a multicausality incident which will spread over the 80-meter deep new train station. The event will include three paramedic and nine regular ambulances as well as a first aid station and other specialized units and responders.

MDA Chief Eli Bin: “We are talking about a complicated and important drill that will train MDA forces on how to deal with fires inside the new Jerusalem lane, which includes many unique challenges. There is no doubt that the drill granted true knowledge and tools to our teams to enable them to save lives in ways that are out of the ordinary. The cooperation between different security organizations is a crucial factor in the success of saving lives, I wish to thank every group and organization that took part in the drill and of course MDA units and its staff, which continue to obtain new tools in order to provide the best emergency medical responses to the citizens of Israel.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem/Photo Credit: MDA Spokesman Unit)