Israeli Fire Fighters to Train in Tunnel Environments
This post is also available in: 
עברית (Hebrew)
A delegation of Israeli fire fighters headed out to Spain recently, to receive special training covering fire fighting in tunnel environments. “Every tunnel carries its own significant fire risks.”
A group of 18 Israel fire fighters headed out to Spain recently, to participate in a special training course covering fire fighting in tunnel environments.
Several large transportation tunnels have been built in Israel recently, and more are planned in the future – each tunnel with its own fire risks. Currently there are no training facilities in Israel that offer live fire-fighting training in tunnels, leading to the departure to Spain, where the team will participate in an intensive, four-day training course.
The training facility, located in northern Spain, covers a 142-dunam area and includes a 600-meter long fire training tunnel, a high-temperature ventilator inspection lab, control rooms and laboratories.
iHLS – Israel Homeland Security
The team is headed by the Fire Fighting Authority’s training chief, Boaz Rakiah, and includes fire fighters from the north, central and Jerusalem districts. The training will include:
- Tunnel fire characteristics
- Expansion of fires through underground rivers and the flow of combustible gases
- Use of protective masks for safety in tunnels
- Live fire drills, including casualty rescue, coordination between teams and night drills
- Management and control of fire fighting efforts in extended traffic or railway tunnels
- Accidents in high-temperature and high-pressure environments
The Fire Fighting and Rescue Authority has plans to build its own tunnel-fire training facility in the future.
