Area first responders take railcar incident training

A railcar derailment is a rare event, but if it does happen Washington County first responders know just what to do.

First responders came from Washington and surrounding counties, even as far as Wapello for the railcar incident training at Marr Park on Saturday, Sept. 15. The free class was sponsored through the All Hazards Training Center at The University of Findlay. They received a grant from the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (DOT PHMSA). Through the grant, they are able to take the class 1,000 miles in any direction of their home campus for the purpose of teaching first responders, emergency management coordinators and public safety officials what to do in the case of a derailment.

Course instructor Rick Hoffman said small traincar derailments, such as the wheels coming off the track, happen every day but a large-scale spill is not common. He reffered to a derailment as a 'high-risk, low-frequency event” which means it does not happen often, but if it does it could be incredibly dangerous. Hoffman said the responders who come to the event are skilled at tackling house fires and brush fires because they handle them often. Derailments are rare but the more practice they get, the more prepared they will be if an accident were to occur. The first thing he teaches his students is how to identify what material is in the compartment. 'If they can identify it from a distance they don't have to go near it,” he said. By knowing what is inside, the team does not have to get any closer to the potentially hazardous material and in effect, keep themselves safe.

'No. 1 is safety,” he said. 'Keeping themselves from getting hurt and knowing the right things to do and what not to do.” He explains that each incident is unique because of the wide variety of chemicals coming through. He said the goal of the class is to teach people to unify and work together to identify what is happening and figure out how to control the problem. Rail cars can carry anything from petroleum to tomato sauce, the first being far more dangerous than the latter.

Training coordinator Todd Lee says that although a derailment is rare, the eight-hour course is crucial for any town that has a train system because a spill would affect streets, local waterways and public safety. He feels the importance of the class lies with the ability to make participants think about who they would call for help and how to control the situation. He said the knowledge they gain from this class can also be applied to semis and tankers that may spill going down the highway. By arming them with the knowledge of what to do, they are preparing them before it's too late. 'We're teaching our first responders what to think about in those types of events,” he said. 'Getting them to think about that is (the goal).”

Washington County Emergency Management Coordinator Marissa Reisen attended the class with the goal of learning what needs would need to be met and assessed should an accident occur. 'I'm not going to be on scene the way these guys are,” she said. 'But for me, it will give me more of an idea of what they might need so that hopefully I'll know what they need before they know they need it and I can already be reaching out to partners throughout the state.” She says that being prepared is important because although there is a low risk of it happening, major damage could occur if a derailment did occur. 'We've got the railway that goes right through the center of town,” she said. 'So it's worth going to because if it did happen, we now know what to do.”