In the wake of the series of deadly rush hour attacks Thursday in London, London Fire Brigade Commissioner Ken Knight attributed the preparedness of urban rescuers to training at the Texas Engineering Extension Service’s Disaster City facility in College station.
The Extension Service has trained 178 search and rescue specialists from the fire brigade since June 2003 at Disaster City.
In all, 652 specialists from throughout the United Kingdom underwent training at the facility.
Each of the members of the London Fire Brigade spent two weeks at Disaster City completing an 80-hour course that included hands-on training sessions in heavy rescue and technical search.
The 52-acre facility was created to provide “the full array of skills and techniques needed by urban search and rescue professionals.”
It features full-size collapsible structures that replicate urban buildings, including a strip mall, an office building, an industrial complex, a theater and a single-family home.
It also includes a train derailment and three rubble piles.
Hundreds of rescuers responded Thursday after bombs went off at three locations in London’s underground rail system and aboard a double-decker bus.
At least 37 people died in the attacks, although the death toll was expected to rise.
As many as 700 were injured in the explosions and 50 suffered serious injuries.
