The City of Bowie Office of Emergency Management will host a free rail car incident response for crude, ethanol and other flammable liquids on Sept. 30 at the Bowie Community Center.
This free program is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 30. Training is provided free by the Center for Rural Development and the University of Findlay’s All Hazards Training Center on behalf of a U.S. Department of Transportation grant award.
Who should attend? Firefighters including neighboring departments, other first responders, community emergency management personnel and other community stakeholders including railroad representatives.
The registration deadline is Sept. 16. Contact Kirk Higgins, emergency management coordinator at emc@cityofbowietx.com or call 940-841-0188. Deadline is Sept. 16.
As more and more rail traffic transports cargo, including hazardous materials, it is important the responder community become educated about the dangers and unique hazards presented with rail cars carrying these commodities. The information presented here will enhance the ability of emergency responders to assess the scene of a rail car incident, understand the resources needed to remediate the emergency situations, including how the railroad will play a critical role.
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 properties to consider in an emergency, assessing the scene to determine potential hazards to people, property and the environment, recognizing mitigation strategies including offensive, defensive and non-intervention strategies for fire and/or spill incident and identifying key resources in the rail/freight industry as well as federal, state and private resources for response assistance.