By William Off
Recently we have seen several major railroad accidents in the news. I have previously worked for a passenger and a freight railroad and unfortunately experienced train derailments during my time there. It is more common than you would think, and we had a formal protocol of dealing with them—something that every fire department with a railroad nearby should have as well. This previous experience has inspired me to educate my department on what to do in the event of a train accident. Using the knowledge of former employment and how it relates to being a firefighter is something that we can all do to help us perform our jobs better.
- RESPONDING TO RAILROAD EMERGENCIES: UNDERSTANDING THE RAILROAD SYSTEM
- Responding Safely to Railroad Emergencies: Locomotive Systems and Operation
- Crude Oil By Rail Information and Hazards
- Amtrak Derailment Operations: the First 24 Minutes
Think about the railroads that run through your department’s local. In my local, New Jersey Transit runs 24 passenger trains a day. CSX and Norfolk Southern run and store cars on multiple lines that go into different directions. There is also a freight train yard, Southern Railroad of New Jersey. That’s four railroad companies, freight and passenger, that include not only diesel locomotives but also flammable gas and liquid tanker cars.
If your department has a railroad passing through your department’s local, here are some websites for training and education. These can help your department put together standard operating guidelines (SOGs) and training plans. You can also reach out to these railroads directly. They are happy to help and even invite you to their yards or a location to give educational seminars. These are a business in your community, and they appreciate your services to protect their assets. This is also a great opportunity to perform preplans. Although, most of the time we think of preplans for buildings or dwellings, this type of operation requires your attention, as well. The preplan should include point of contact information, gate access (key box or code), access roads to different locations of the rail lines, type of locomotive (diesel or electric), type of freight, and type of storage cars (material or tanker). This can be a great review for your department to better prepare in case of an emergency.
Free Educational and Training Resources
Transcaer: Online Hazmat Training – Railroads
https://www.transcaer.com/training/online-training-courses
- Anhydrous Ammonia Safety Training
- Chlorine Safety Training
- Chlorine Emergencies: An Overview for First Responders
- CSX Emergency Response to Railroad Incidents
- Ethanol Training & Emergency Response
- Flammable Liquids Safety Training
- Norfolk Southern Corporation – Locomotive Fires
- Over the Road Transportation of Flammable Liquids Training
- Steel Drums 101 for Emergency Responders
- Union Pacific Railroad – Hazmat Management – Railroading 101
Federal Railroad Administration: Locomotive Emergency Response Training PDF
https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/locomotive-emergency-response-training
https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2021-03/Loco%20Emergency%20Response%20Training-A.pdf (31-page Emergency Preparation Guide)
The goal of this program is to develop an informational video for firefighters. The video covers pertinent and valuable information firefighters need to respond to a call involving the railroad quickly, efficiently, and safely.
BNSF Hazmat Training Online: Hazmat and Railroad Emergency Training for Frist Responders
- Passenger Train Emergency Response
- Crude Oil By Rail – First Responder Training
- Ethanol Emergency Response Considerations
BNSF Pre-Recorded Webinars
- RAILCAR KNOWLEDGE FOR FIRST RESPONDERS
- RAILROAD EME
- RGENCY RESPONSE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AWARENESS
- LOCOMOTIVE AWARENESS AND RESPONSE
CSX: Emergency Responder Training and Education
https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-us/safety/community/emergency-responder-training-and-education/
Emergency Responder Materials: Two hardcopy guides (free material and shipping)
https://www.nationsprint.com/clients/csx/start_new_order.cgi?
- Emergency Response to Railroad Incidents Self Study Guide
The Emergency Response to Railroad Incidents Self Study Guide was developed to provide emergency responders with a training and reference document for preparing for incidents involving railroad property or equipment. The guide contains information about safety around the railroad, incident preplanning, and initial response procedures as well as railroad equipment and personnel. That guide contains a quiz the trainees can complete and mail to CSX Transportation’s hazardous material systems group for grading and certificate issuance. The book is intended to be a companion to the self-study video. When ordering, request one copy per anticipated training attendee.
- Community Awareness Emergency Planning Guide
The CSX Transportation Community Awareness Emergency Planning Guide was developed to assist emergency managers and response agency leaders with their efforts to plan for and respond to incidents involving railroad property or equipment and is intended to augment existing plans and operating procedures. The guide is not intended to be used for individual training of responders, rather as a reference for agency decision-makers. Quantities are limited.
National Transportation Safety Board: Investigation Report
Conrail Freight Train Derailment with Vinyl Chloride Release: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/RAR1401.pdf
A 90-page PDF report on a November 30, 2012 incident in Paulsboro, New Jersey. This investigation led to the discovery of lack of training and certifications of the emergency personnel.
There are many more websites and information for you to obtain, but these are just a few to get your department started. Do your research and become more valuable to your community. If your department does not have training plans or SOGs in place, start putting this information together. Reach out to you officers or training department. This is another great opportunity for any level of firefighter to learn the process of building preplans, SOGs, or training lesson plans.
- Company-Level Hoseline Deployment Drills
- Top Free Firefighter Training Resources for Fire Instructors
William Off has been in the fire service for more than 15 years and works as a nurse at Virtua Mt. Holly Rehab. He began his career with the Hammonton (NJ) Fire Department and is a firefighter with Winslow Township Fire Department and Winslow Office of Emergency Management (OEM). He has served as an emergency medical technician in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and in addition to his New Jersey practical nursing license holds a number of certifications in fire, EMS, and OEM.
