CN donates funds for supply management study; CSX issues grant for first-responder training

CN last week announced a $500,000 donation (in Canadian dollars) to the Center for Supply Chain Management at the School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario.

The donation will support internships and a cooperative education program for students studying supply management. In addition, CN managers will work with instructors and researchers to give an industry perspective, and help organize annual conferences on the subject, said CN President and Chief Executive Officer Claude Mongeau in a press release.

Meanwhile, CSX Transportation last week presented a $25,000 grant to the Hazardous Materials CBRNE Training Facility in York County, Va., to improve training for Virginia firefighters and other responders.

The grant funds will be used to buy equipment to expand and improve the training facilities' rail-related hazardous materials capabilities, including enhancing current and future rail-car props; installing lighting and electrical connections to facilitate night training; expanding the classrooms to accommodate larger groups; and sustaining the facility with continued maintenance, CSX officials said in a press release.

"An emergency response team's ability is significantly strengthened when there is an opportunity to train in real life scenarios and work in situations relevant to today's emergency response community," said Chris Sadler, assistant chief, York County Department of Fire and Life Safety. "With this grant, the training facility can continue to provide state-of-the-art emergency response training for the commonwealth's emergency responders."