Onet Security industrial firefighters guarantee Eurotunnel fire safety

 Ensuring the fire safety of Eurotunnel's strategic infrastructures requires cutting-edge expertise and highly qualified teams. More than 50 industrial firefighters Onet Security work around the clock to prevent and cover fire risks, and to provide first aid on site.



PIV, ERP and ICPE: the safety issues at this trading site between France and the UK

Over 21 million passengers, 3 million light vehicles and 2 million heavy goods vehicles, some carrying hydrocarbons or hazardous materials, pass through Eurotunnel's 650-hectare site every year .

Classified as a Point d'Importance Vitale (PIV ), the site includes Installations Classées pour la Protection de l'Environnement (ICPE) and buildings open to the public (ERP). Since 2013, Eurotunnel has entrusted Onet Security with the role of FLOR (First Line of Response) on the France terminal and inside the rail and service tunnels.

The main safety issues inherent in Eurotunnel's infrastructures:
- Ensure risk prevention through recurrent checks on fire safety rescue resources
- Respond as quickly as possible to incidents (personal assistance, fire, accident, natural disaster, etc.).
- Guarantee the protection of human life and health
- Secure the flow of people/vehicles/products in and out of the tunnel
- Limit the risks and consequences of a technological accident - Ensure the traceability and reliability of processed information.

Tailor-made E3I system to guarantee infrastructure safety at all times

More than 50 first response team members (E3I) make up theOnet Security team. All Eurotunnel personnel are volunteer firefighters from the SDIS. They use heavy equipment to respond to fires, all types of first aid and specific interventions.

5 teams of 9 industrial firefighters take turns working 12-hour shifts. Each team is managed by a team leader in direct contact with the management team: site manager, deputy manager, on-call supervisors. The supervisors are responsible for managing staff, controlling internal operations, drafting procedures to be followed, planning daily activities...

FLOR France's main missions:
1. Fire fighting
2. Rescue and assistance
3. Infrastructure surveillance and maintenance
4. Fire alarm troubleshooting
5. Training and skills enhancement

Acting as 1st line and coordinating the arrival of emergency services on the French side of Eurotunnel

Onet Security guarantees intervention on the French side of Eurotunnel, with strict deadlines of 20 minutes for the arrival of the first unit on site, and 40 minutes for full mobilization of the workforce.

On the front line, our teams intervene in critical situations to protect passengers, infrastructure and light and heavy vehicles. Whether managing complex tunnel fires, evacuating passengers or staff from high-risk areas, or extinguishing fires involving trains, they are prepared to act in all circumstances.

With advanced expertise in operational management, the management team takes command of interventions, coordinating emergency services, SLOR units and the British FLOR as part of combined arrangements.

Fire robot piloted byOnet Security teams in the event of large-scale fires

Onet Security uses a fire-fighting robot supplied by Eurotunnel to combat major fires. This remote-controlled device enableseffective intervention on high-risk fires, particularly those involving liquefied natural gas.

The robot is controlled directly byOnet Security teams. This technology, combined with the expertise of our staff, enhances the safety of operations while ensuring optimum protection of Eurotunnel's infrastructure.

Mobile teams dedicated to first aid and fire detection

Pairs of industrial firefighters patrol the site, carrying out rescue and fire detection missions at the France terminal:

- In the event of a fire, they will use a thermal camera to detect the fire and extinguish it using existing first-response equipment (fire extinguishers, RIA).
- In the event of an accident, they will carry out an initial assessment and perform the appropriate first-aid procedures on the victims, and refer the matter to the SDIS if their intervention is required.
- In the event of a traffic accident, they extricate the victim.

These examples testify to the adaptability of Onet Security teams to any type of incident. They can also be mobilized to search for unresponsive callers in the tunnel, or to rescue a worker from a pumping station...

Recognition of industrial firefighters in RCH suits for NRBCE incidents

Onet Security 's industrial firefighters perform reconnaissance operations in pairs during incidents involving the transport of hazardous materials. Equipped with RCH suits, they remove suspicious substances, ensure their containment and coordinate actions with the SDIS to limit the spread of chemical materials.

In the event of a large-scale NRBCE incident, 1st response team members are empowered to coordinate firefighters specialized in nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical hazards as close as possible to the red zone, so that they can intervene.

They can also clear up suspicions of gas leaks, and assist workers in difficulty in high-risk environments such as alabras.

Regular checks to ensure the operational efficiency of fire safety systems and response equipment

Industrial firefighters check all fire safety systems located on the France terminal and inside the rail tunnels. They check hydrant outlets by conducting water flow tests using a mobile casa trailer. They will also replace filters in technical rooms, check portable fire extinguishers and emergency telephones, configure valves and check the lighting of self-contained emergency lighting units...

On a daily basis, they inspect and maintain intervention equipment (lance, hoses, fittings, breathing apparatus, etc.) in the STTS service tunnel transport systems. These vehicles have been specifically designed to operate in Eurotunnel's service tunnel (dual-engined, 1.40 m wide).

These maintenance operations are essential to guarantee the availability and reliability of the equipment in the event of emergency intervention, with rigorous follow-up recorded in a safety register to ensure traceability of the actions carried out. 

Ongoing training to improve efficiency

To perfect their operational reflexes, Onet Security 1st response team members follow an intensive and varied training program throughout the year:

- Daily: theoretical training sessions, 2 intervention maneuvers and fitness training in the gym.
- Monthly: exercises in collaboration with the SDIS, SAMU and law enforcement agencies
- Biannually: joint simulations between French and British industrial firefighters
- Annually: simulation of a fire in a railway tunnel with a demonstration train

Production of studies by experts Onet Security on Eurotunnel's emerging risks

Onet Security has a team of fire safety experts within its Expertise and Innovation Division. As part of the service provided to Eurotunnel, they were asked to produce studies on the risks induced by electric vehicles when crossing the tunnel. 

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