PHMSA launches online resource to help emergency responders with rail incidents

Washington – A new training resource aims to provide emergency responders with important information and best practices for responding to rail incidents involving flammable liquids such as crude oil and ethanol.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration announced the project April 4. Several other agencies, including FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency, assisted PHMSA with the initiative.

The resource includes a training video and other items focusing on the best ways to respond to rail incidents involving Hazard Class 3 Flammable Liquids. Each training module includes a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, a student workbook and a lesson plan for instructors. The materials are intended to provide flexible approaches for training emergency responders in pre-incident planning and response.

“Some of the most important actions we have taken during the last two years to increase the safety of transporting crude oil by rail have been providing more resources, better information and quality training for first responders,” Federal Railroad Administration head Sarah Feinberg said in a press release. “This web-based training is another tool to help first responders in communities large and small, urban, and rural quickly and effectively respond if a derailment happens.”