Rail Car Incident Response for Crude, Ethanol, and Other Flammable Liquids

The All Hazards Training Center at The University of Findlay has developed the Rail Car Incident Response for Crude, Ethanol, and Other Flammable Liquids training course for the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (DOT PHMSA) to educate emergency responders on freight rail car incidents involving hazardous materials, specifically crude oil, ethanol, and other flammable liquids.

As more and more rail traffic transports cargo, including hazardous materials, it is important that the responder community become educated about the dangers and unique hazards presented with rail cars carrying these commodities.

The information covered in this tuition-free training course will enhance the ability of emergency responders to assess the scene of a rail car incident, understand the resources needed to remediate the emergency situation, including how the railroad will play a critical role in the response.

Hands-on scenarios using a rail car simulator are conducted to emphasize the objectives of the training including:

• Identifying the design, construction, components and markings of rail tank cars that carry crude/flammable liquids.
• Recognizing and identifying the chemical being transported, and the properties that must be considered in an emergency.
• Assessing the scene to determine the potential hazards to people, property, and the environment.
• Recognizing mitigation strategies including offensive, defensive, and non-intervention strategies for fire and/or spill incidents. This is not a tactics course but rather focuses on strategy and decision making.
• Identifying key resources in the rail/freight industry as well as federal, state, and private resources for response assistance.

Who should attend this course:

• Firefighters—including neighboring departments
• Other First Responders— including law enforcement
• Community Emergency Management Personnel
• Other Community Stakeholders—including railroad representatives

This course is sponsored by the Waycross Fire Department.

The registration deadline is August 4, 2024 at midnight. A minimum of 20 registrations must be received by the deadline to ensure the class will be held.

To register:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjbRo70LrktPKbVcfbhx9_InscXTxSZqORcyN0ZeNgeOWQkg/viewform

For registration assistance, please contact Susan Bloomfield at Susan.Bloomfield@findlay.edu or 419-434-4353.