The New Brunswick Operation Lifesaver Steering Committee coordinated its first ever “Car / Train Collision Mock Disaster". Four members of the Harbour View High School Drama Club volunteered to be the victims for the Mock Disaster. Students were coached by paramedics on how to react and St. John Ambulance spent several hours the morning of the event making up the students for the event.
The event commenced at 9:30am and the engine provided by NB Southern Railway acted as a curtain for the scene before it was moved from the crossing revealing the scene of the collision. The 911 call was made from the engine so that students could experience the scenario from the time of the call. Emergency responders began arriving on the scene within minutes of the 911 call.
Students were pulled from the vehicle and the “jaws of life” had to be used to remove one of the victims (a manaquin). Fatalities were placed in body bags by the Coroner and the bodies were walked past the high school students to solicit their reactions to what they had witnessed. Accident investigators and re-creators were on the scene to investigate the mock collision to add to the realism of the event.
A debriefing took place in the auditorium at Harbour View High School following the event and included presentations by engineer Fred Miller (VIA Rail) who spoke about his personal experience with a collision. Dan Ditota, National Director spoke on the initiatives of Operation Lifesaver and of the Mock Scenario which just took place. Police, fire fighters, and paramedics spoke about their debriefing and personal stories relating to train collisions. The Harbour View Drama Students also spoke of how they were affected by the scenario.