Published on : Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Union Pacific Railroad conducted training for 80 emergency response personnel from Arkansas, Arizona, California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska July 21 — 23 and July 23 – 25. The training focused on sharpening the emergency responders’ skills to better prepare them in the unlikely event of a crude-by-rail incident in or near their respective communities.
Union Pacific proactively reaches out to fire departments as well as other emergency responders along its lines to offer comprehensive training to first responders in communities where the railroad operates. The company annually trains approximately 2,500 local, state and federal first-responders on ways to minimize the impact of a potential derailment. Union Pacific has trained nearly 38,000 public responders and almost 7,500 private responders (shippers and contractors) since 2003. This includes classroom and hands-on training.
The recently completed training covered a variety of safety subjects, including identification of tank car types that transport crude, tank car fittings, tank car construction, chemical and physical properties of the different types of crude oil and crude oil response precautions. Participants received hands-on experience in assessing tank car damage, making certain on-site repairs, controlling the release of crude oil from damaged rail cars and crude oil fire suppression techniques.
Class members participated in a simulated crude oil fire. The simulation helped students understand how the railroad would work with them in an emergency, and how to work safely while on railroad property.
The three-day, 24-hour courses were held at the Association of American Railroad’s Transportation Technology Center near Pueblo, Colorado. Union Pacific paid for all attendees’ expenses, with no cost to communities or organizations.
Emergency response personnel from the following organizations attended the course:
Arkansas:
Maumelle Fire Department, Maumelle
Texarkana Fire Department, Texarkana
Arizona:
Rincon Valley Fire District, Tucson
California:
Ventura County Fire Department, Carmarillo
Kern County Fire Department, Bakersfield
UC Davis Fire Department, Davis
Los Angeles County Fire Department, Castaic
Orange County Fire Authority, Irvine
City of Davis Fire Department, Davis
Illinois:
Granite City Fire Department, Granite City
Kell Fire Protection District, Kell
Kell Fire Department / Illinois Fire Service Institute, Champaign
Tuscola Fire Department, Tuscola
Barrington Fire Department, Barrington
Benton Fire Department, Benton
West Frankfort Fire Department, West Frankfort
Iowa:
Des Moines Fire Department, Des Moines
Kansas:
Linn County Rural Fire Department Dist. #1, Mound City
Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, Burlington
Linn County Fire / West Peculiar Fire Dept., LaCygne
Olathe Fire Department, Olathe
Reno Township Fire and Rescue, Linwood
Missouri:
Chaffee Fire Department, Chaffee
Scott City Fire Department, Scott City
Cape Girardeau Fire Department, Cape Girardeau
Nebraska:
Fairbury City Fire Department, Fairbury
Fairbury Rural Fire Department, Fairbury
Plymouth Fire & Rescue, Plymouth
Sidney Volunteer Fire Department, Sidney
Future crude-by-rail courses will be held:
August 11 — 13
August 13 — 15
August 25 — 27
August 27 — 29
November 12 — 14
December 1 – 3
Source:- Union Pacific Railboard
Tags: Union Pacific Railboard
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