Norfolk Southern offers training for first responders in rail accidents

Norfolk Southern offers training for first responders in rail accidents

Sixteen months have passed since the Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine.

Since 2015, the railroad has offered its Operation Awareness and Response Program, which aims to build and strengthen relationships with first responders who assist in rail accidents. This is the first local training since the East Palestine disaster. Wednesday’s training focused on hazmat teams from Mahoning, Trumbull and Portage counties at Norfolk Southern’s Poland Avenue facility in Youngstown.

“Every few years we do training for this specific type of emergency,” said Stephen Szekely, Mahoning County Hazmat team leader. “After East Palestine, (railway accident safety) was at the top of everyone’s list.”

Norfolk Southern’s Operation Awareness & Response program travels throughout the railroad’s 22-state network, providing free rail emergency training to first responders. All training takes place aboard the NS Safety Train.

“They get to pick up some equipment and learn about railroad operations,” said Heather Garcia, senior communications manager at Norfolk Southern. “We do a little bit of railroad literacy in class and then, most importantly, we have lots of opportunities to try out the equipment as we go through some scenarios.”

Last year alone, the railroad reached 1,947 first responders through 12 OAR Safety Train events. The railroad plans to expand the program in 2024, offering 20 scheduled stops. The training helps communities prepare for an accident like the East Palestine derailment after hundreds of first responders worked together after the accident. The train is equipped with boxcar classrooms, tank cars and a locomotive for in-depth, hands-on training.

“Our guys can work in the suits they would wear in an emergency,” explained Kevin Kuriatnyk, chief of the Trumbull County Hazmat team. “This provides them with a safe learning environment where they can get used to using these tools in the suits.”

“The hazmat team is all about containing and stopping the leak from spreading,” Szekely added. “That’s why our teams are simulating the tank spill today. Our goal is to get in there and stop the leak.”

Efforts to ensure that first responders work with maximum efficiency should another train accident occur in our area.

“The more training we get, the more confident we become,” Kuriatnyk said. “That gives our guys a much bigger edge.”

Norfolk Southern plans to hold a session in Portsmouth, Ohio, later this month. For more information about the program, visit Norfolk Southern’s website.