Smoke in the Cabin at Night in Heavy Rain
You are driving a 40-foot bus with 36 passengers on a freeway at 11:30 p.m. in heavy rain. Without warning, the rear of the cabin fills with acrid smoke, and passengers begin shouting. You pull onto the right shoulder, but the bus remains partially in the right lane, about 8 feet from a concrete barrier. The exits are the front door, rear door, and four side windows with emergency handles. Two passengers use wheelchairs: one motorized and one manual. The fire extinguisher is mounted behind the driver. Traffic is passing at 60 mph with heavy spray. The shoulder is narrow and unlit. Your cell phone shows one bar.
1. What are your first actions after stopping?
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Stop as far right as the shoulder allows, set the parking brake, shift to park or neutral as appropriate, and shut off the engine. Turn on hazard lights. Call 911 if you can do so immediately; if the smoke is worsening, evacuate first and call from outside.
Assess the source of the smoke quickly. If you see fire or the smoke is thick and spreading, evacuate immediately. If it is light smoke from an overheated wheel or accessory and the cabin is clear, you may use the extinguisher briefly-but do not delay evacuation to fight a fire that is already growing. A bus fire can become untenable in less than a minute.
Because the bus is partly in a live lane at night, get passengers away from traffic as well as away from the fire. Do not open the engine compartment if that would feed the fire.
2. How do you evacuate, and where do you send the passengers?
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Use the front door if the path is clear of smoke and traffic; use the rear door or side windows if the front is blocked. Assign two or three capable passengers to help at the exits. Tell people to leave bags behind and move away from the bus.
The assembly point should be upwind and well away from the travel lane-at least 100 feet from the bus if possible, and behind the concrete barrier only if that area is safe and reachable. Do not send passengers across live freeway lanes. At night in rain, drivers see hazards late, so keep the group together and away from the shoulder edge.
Count passengers after evacuation. Ask the aide or another passenger to help account for the wheelchair users. Do not let anyone re-enter the bus for belongings.
3. How do you handle the two wheelchair users during the evacuation?
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Do not use the lift during a smoke or fire evacuation; it is slow, may lose power, and keeps the passenger near the hazard. For the manual wheelchair, use two or three helpers to carry the passenger in the chair only if the chair can be lifted safely and the route is clear; otherwise use a two-person carry or an evacuation chair. For the motorized wheelchair, leave the chair behind and assist the passenger away from the bus-the chair is too heavy and may present a battery or fire risk.
Ask the passengers what assistance they need and let them direct the hold if possible. Keep their paths clear and move them upwind, away from traffic. After everyone is accounted for, report the number of passengers and any injuries to 911.