Dan Nephin
LNP, Lancaster, Pa.
(TNS)
Jul. 28—The Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February brought train safety to the forefront for a lot of people.
While the 38-car derailment about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh did not cause death or injuries, some of the cars were carrying toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride. Officials evacuated the area and ordered toxic materials be burned off, prompting pollution concerns.
Against that backdrop — but not because of the February derailment — Norfolk Southern and its safety subcontractors at its Harrisburg Intermodal Yard on Thursday offered first-responders railroad-specific training.
"Derailments do happen from time to time, and that's why preparation is so important. Obviously our goal is to have zero derailments, but we want to make sure that first responders are prepared in the event of those incidents," said Connor Spielmaker, senior communications manager for Norfolk Southern.
Among the most common train incidents are leaking valves, Spielmaker said.
"A lot of fire departments have access to training facilities that have cars and structures they can practice on. Not a lot of them have a railroad at that facility, even if you have an actual railroad in your backyard," Spielmaker said.
Such training is also a way to build relationships between the railroad and first responders, Spielmaker said.
"We operate through a number of communities, and it's important to also remember that while we're based in Atlanta, all of our local folks live in these communities," Spielmaker said. "We're not just passing through town."
Class in session
Attendees began with classroom instruction, a sort of " Railroad 101," Spielmaker said. It went over basic safety protocols for the Harrisburg yard, who first responders should contact if a train emergency happens, what a train "consist" is — the number of cars and their locations.
The classrooms were set up in two of 10 railcars that Norfolk Southern uses as part of its Operation Awareness & Response program, which makes about a dozen to 15 stops a year.
Other cars included several tank cars and two locomotives to provide hands-on learning opportunities. Two low-lying cars contained valves that would typically be on top of tank cars.
At one tank car, instructor George Bunker showed a group how to read markings. For instance, in the tank car marked "DOT 105 J 500W," the "DOT" stands for federal Department of Transportation, the 105 and 500 refer to pressure tests, the "J" means the tank is jacketed and the "W" means welded construction. A jacketed tank means the actual tank containing the product is surrounded by insulation and then an outer shell, or jacket.
Harrisburg city firefighter John Wilburne was among Thursday's attendees. With the railyard in the department's coverage area, he said the city's firefighters do get training, particularly about hazardous materials and typically in a class setting.
"This is a very unique experience, one that I have not heard of or seen before," said Wilburne, who has been a firefighter for 15 years. "Whenever you can get your hands on things, it's a lot different than sitting in the classroom and reading out of a book. And you're also talking with the industry experts: what they want out of this and what they want you to get out of it. (Such as) they give us the 'no-go zones,' which is very important because we can't just come in and do whatever we want. ... So it really helps us kind of identify those hazards more quickly, get those responses more coordinated."
No agency from Lancaster County was at Thursday's session and Spielmaker wasn't sure if anyone from the county was coming to the sessions Friday and Saturday.
Randy Gockley, the county's former emergency management coordinator, said he knew invitations for the event were sent out, but was unaware of any county agency going. Over the past 10 or 12 years, he said, Norfolk Southern has run drills in the county for first responders.
Among the agencies at Thursday's session were the state Fish and Boat Commission, the state Game Commission, the state Department of Environmental Protection, Swatara Township police and Harrisburg's fire department.
Spielmaker said Norfolk Southern hoped to provide training to about 200 first responders in the region during the session, and annually its training sessions reach about 5,000 first responders. This year's training sessions are also held in Asheville, North Carolina; Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Roanoke, Virginia; Ypsilanti, Michigan; and Pitcairn and Morrisville, both in Pennsylvania.
Norfolk Southern operates in 22 states and Washington, D.C., over about 19,000 route miles.
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