Initial assessment of the simulation at th Port of Santos is positive

The initial data on the largest firefighting simulation ever held at the Port of Santos show a positive balance of the initiative. According to the PAM (Mutual Aid Plan), response times to the simulated incident training action carried out this morning at the Santos Brasil container terminal on the left bank of the Santos port complex, were very good.

The simulation began with the quick reaction of the operator of an RTG (a gantry crane for handling containers in the yard), who within 5 seconds informed the Santos Brasil monitoring team that there was an emergency. This enabled the company to initiate its response plan and bring the entire incident quickly under control, deploying the proper intervening departments.

Within 10 seconds, the Occupational Safety and Security teams were called to assess the severity of the incident. In three minutes, the company´s civil firefighter made his assessment and, in six minutes, the rescue of the first victim began. In eight minutes, Santos Brasil ordered the terminal to be evacuated, which was completed in 19 minutes and involved 323 employees.

The second victim of the simulation, an operator 23 meters high up in the RTG, received first aid from a Santos Brasil health professional in seven minutes. Firefighters then took over to rescue the operator over a zip line.

The chemical involved in the leak that triggered the simulation was immediately identified, and a spreadsheet was generated for locating other nearby containers with products that could potentially compound the situation. Once a container with such characteristics was identified, the planning began for removing it, which took place in 54 minutes.

The Fire Department arrived at the terminal nine minutes after it was called, and began fighting the fire with water. A Maritime Fire Group vessel docked at the terminal in 22 minutes.

A PAM meeting coordinated by the São Paulo State Port Authority (Codesp) this morning included representatives from 20 organizations, including the Fire Department, Civil Defense, Ibama, Cetesb, the City, Antaq, Internal Revenue Service, and the Federal Police for evaluating the simulation. About 250 people were involved during the entire action, and about a thousand were affected. The final report on the simulation will be delivered to Codesp.