LIRC hosts Safety Train Events. Photo: courtesy of Anacostia Rail Holdings.
The Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC), in partnership with CSX, sponsored the Safety Train, which provided railroad safety training to more than 300 first responders from Jeffersonville, Ind., to Columbus, Ind. The event, held from September 12 through 21, was the third safety training event held by LIRC in conjunction with CSX.
The training included full-scale mock exercises, conducted by the Clark County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) with local emergency responders from Jeffersonville and Clarksville Fire and Police Departments and other state and federal agencies. The training consisted of providing mock scenarios of possible chemical leaks from a train. The participants received hands-on experience in how to safely respond to a train incident regarding hazardous materials.
Jeremy Kramer, director of transportation of LIRC, stated, “We’d like to thank all those who attended including the Fire Chiefs from Columbus, Seymour, Scottsburg, Sellersburg, Jeffersonville, and Clarksville as well as representatives from the FRA, DHS, and Indiana Emergency Management Agencies.”
The Safety Train, taught by CSX hazardous materials specialists and specialized contractors, provides first responders with the information they need to be safe around active railroads, including safety features of modern rail tank cars and specialized techniques for responding to railroad incidents involving hazardous materials.
“We enjoyed the support and technical expertise of our counterparts from the CSX and the contractors that represented emergency services from all parts of the system. The success of this training was not only vital to large-scale response but the safety and success of everyday operations,” Kramer added.
The LIRC is an affiliate of Anacostia Rail Holdings. Other Anacostia affiliate railroads have conducted hazardous material emergency response training, including Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad, Pacific Harbor Line and New York & Atlantic Railway. This is the eighth time since 2010 that the Safety Train and hazardous material emergency responder training have been hosted at Anacostia affiliated railroads.