Smoke in a single-tube tunnel
On a two-lane, single-tube tunnel 3.2 km long, a 40 t lorry carrying 12 t of packaged general cargo is stopped 60 m behind a burning car. The car is in the right lane; a person is lying on the road beside it, conscious but with a bleeding leg. Smoke is drifting towards the lorry. Traffic is stopped behind. The driver has a 6 kg powder extinguisher, a first-aid kit, a hi-vis vest, a warning triangle and a mobile phone with poor signal. The nearest emergency phone is 200 m back towards the entrance; the tunnel has emergency exits every 250 m. The driver's cargo is not dangerous goods. The ventilation is operating in normal mode.
1. What should the driver do in the first minute?
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The driver should stop safely, switch on hazard lights and avoid blocking the escape route for others. The engine should be switched off. The driver should put on the hi-vis vest, take the phone and extinguisher, and move towards the emergency phone if the mobile signal is poor, while staying on the upstream side of the smoke if possible. The emergency services should be called on 110 with the tunnel name, direction, approximate kilometre marker and the fact that a person is injured and a car is burning. The driver should not walk into thick smoke or attempt to turn the lorry around in a narrow tunnel. If the smoke is already reaching the lorry, the priority is to move people away from the smoke towards an emergency exit, not to save the cargo.
2. How should the injured person be managed and the fire attacked?
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The driver should first make the scene as safe as possible and then check the injured person's response and breathing. The bleeding leg should be controlled with direct pressure using a clean dressing or clothing, and the person should be kept warm and still. The person should not be moved unless there is an immediate fire or smoke threat, because movement can worsen spinal or leg injuries. The fire should be attacked with the powder extinguisher only if it is small, the driver has a clear escape route and the smoke is not thickening. The extinguisher should be aimed at the base of the flames. If the fire is already large, or if the smoke is increasing, the correct action is to evacuate to an emergency exit and wait for the fire service. A 6 kg extinguisher is not enough for a developed car fire in a tunnel.
3. What post-incident reporting and documentation are required?
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The driver should follow the emergency services' instructions and not move the lorry until cleared. The operator should be informed as soon as possible, including the tunnel, the time, the cargo, any damage and whether the load has shifted. The driver should make an incident report and note the tachograph record, the emergency call, the names of witnesses if available, and any first-aid actions taken. Photographs should be taken only when it is safe and authorised. The cargo should be checked before movement, and the vehicle should not be driven if there is fire, smoke or brake damage. Insurance and transport documentation should be completed after the immediate emergency is over.