Training for IM/RU incident response units (e.g. staff of the OCC  , situation room, infrastructure maintenance and other logistical support staff) is a crucial element in improving incident management, as they transfer the knowledge and experience acquired by the organization in a methodical, focused manner to all relevant entities. It also supports a clear understanding of the needs of the police, whose representatives may participate in the training to mutual benefit. Information leaflets/ packages/ kits can be used to support formal training.

Clearly all IM and RU staff with an incident response plan role need to be briefed, trained and assessed as competent to undertake their role. Those involved need to:

• Be able to undertake work on the track;
• Understand site management roles and responsibilities;
• Understand the roles and responsibilities of other responding organisations;
• Understand how they interface with external organisations;
• Be aware of necessary equipment and how to use it;
• Investigation needs including the preservation of evidence.

IM and RU support staff will also need to be considered e.g. rolling stock owners and maintainers, infrastructure maintainers and rail incident investigators to be sure they are aware of their planned incident response role, their responsibilities and the actions they should when an incident occurs including:

• Having basic incident response information available;
• Knowing how to contact the appropriate OCC  ;
• Identifying the access point(s) to the incident site;
• The use of incident response equipment;
• Site safety requirements.

Refresher or update training of staff, particularly those with designated roles such as the IM appointed Lead Person (LP  ) is vital to ensure that they remain competent to fulfil their roles.

IMs   supported by RUs   will also seek to ensure that external organisations are provided with sufficient information to enable them to brief their staff on rail incident response needs - in particular how they can ensure their safe access to, and safety on, rail infrastructure. They can also advise the police on the support they can provide to the site investigation e.g. access to train crew and data downloads from trains.