AAR for the District of Columbia in relation to a tunnel fire within the city’s underground transit system that killed a patron.
On Monday, January 12, 2015, rescue personnel from the District of Columbia (DC) Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) Department responded to reports of smoke at the L’Enfant Plaza Metro Station. A six-car Yellow Line Metro train with passengers was stopped in the tunnel approximately 386 feet from the end of the platform. Working with personnel from the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), FEMS evacuated, triaged and transported patients to hospitals. One passenger died.
The purpose of this report was to provide a fact-based account of events, assess response operations by District agencies, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and provide recommendations for corrective action. The focus of this report was on the coordination of operations by District agencies; it was intended to complement agency-specific after-action reviews.
HSEMA tasked OGL to conduct the review in two phases. During phase 1, the OGL team collected and compiled data from District agencies and conducted preliminary reviews with HSEMA, DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS), and the Office of Unified Communications (OUC). During phase 2, the review team continued interviews with other District agencies and organizations, collected additional data, and refined and validated the timeline of events. During this phase materials related to the communications among passengers, responders and District agencies was addressed. The final report was delivered to HSEMA on June 30, 2015.