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Safety
In the Mont Blanc Tunnel, your safety is ensured by uniquely equipped teams of specialists. More than 250 agents ensure your safety through the 11.4 km tunnel.
Safety teams
- Professional firefighters
These agents, specially and regularly trained, are provided with equipment and vehicles designed to fight fires in the Tunnel. They are located at three key points of the tunnel: at the two entrances and at the centre.
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To learn more about their duties, click here.
- Traffic safety team members
If there is an incident, they are the first response on the ground to help drivers, using the fire department if necessary.
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To learn more about their duties, click here.
- Traffic safety operators
Based at the Tunnel control centre, operators monitor traffic and manage tunnel procedures: ventilation, emergency alerts, electronic information signs for drivers, etc.
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To learn more about their duties, click here.
- Toll managers and traffic safety assistants
They are mobilized to help emergency services get through and evacuate customers in cases of incidents. They also manage the checking areas where heavy goods vehicles must be checked before entering the tunnel.
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To learn more about their duties, click here.
- The bi-national police service and customs
These teams monitor the proper implementation of traffic and access rules for the Mont Blanc Tunnel, completing the safety system.
In case of major events, the public rescue service members consist of French and Italian firemen from Chamonix and Courmayeur. Due to the regular safety drills, they have a perfect knowledge of the structures. Their goal: good team coordination and optimal effectiveness of interventions.
Did you know?
Every morning, Tunnel firefighters perform reflex manoeuvres to test their reaction speed.
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Safety procedures
The teams use the latest equipment
The Tunnel teams use a computerized management tool, which collects and analyses 35,000 pieces of data to ensure safety. It allows automatic, rapid, and appropriate interventions based on the incident detected (lighting, ventilation, triggering help, etc.). The control station operators manage this system using monitors and a giant video wall.
3,860 sensors detect any rise in temperature: with the 3,860 thermal sensors distributed throughout the tunnel length, the detection system alerts the control centre to any abnormal rise in temperature.
157 cameras detect any incident inside the tunnel. These video-surveillance cameras are permanently connected to a system that analyses the images.They automatically and immediately detect anything abnormal: objects in the road, slowing down, stopped vehicles, etc. The goal: to alert and trigger appropriate safety procedures.
37 emergency exits, which are located every 300 meters and are clearly marked, enable your safety during an emergency in the Mont Blanc Tunnel while waiting for evacuation by specialized teams. These shelters, pressurized and supplied with fresh air to prevent smoke from entering, have two fire doors (2 hours of fire resistance). They are equipped with video phones that connect directly to an operator and allow you to access an underground evacuation tunnel. This is complemented by 36 emergency stop locations and 116 SOS stations allowing you to park and contact the Tunnel teams if necessary.
To see pictures of the Tunnel’s secrets and equipment, click here.
Read also : Safety of the Mont Blanc Tunnel.