Winter Fire School: 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, the responder community must become educated about the dangers and unique hazards presented by rail cars carrying these commodities. The information covered in this training course will enhance the ability of emergency responders to assess the scene of a rail car incident.

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

Register: https://on.in.gov/february-1-plainfield-dot-alert-railcar-incident-response-training-day-1