Agencies test railway emergency response in Rēzekne

Latvian railway company Latvijas dzelzceļš held an emergency preparedness exercise near Rēzekne railway station, simulating a gasoline leak from a train tanker and a simultaneous threat to the airspace, LSM reported.

Latvijas dzelzceļš, the State Fire and Rescue Service and other agencies took part in the exercise, which tested how institutions would coordinate their response. Nikolajs Koptelovs, head of the company’s civil protection and fire safety department, said the exercise also tested communication with municipal civil protection commissions.

Firefighters and rescuers in Latgale used, for the first time, specialised equipment and containers intended to decontaminate personnel and equipment after chemical or biological accidents.