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8/13/2024
The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) yesterday announced the award of $41 million in grants to states, territories, tribes, unions and nonprofits to support first responders and to help enhance pipeline and hazardous-materials safety programs at the community level for 11 safety programs.
The awards include a more than 50% increase in funding for a grant to firefighters that will aim to double their hazmat training, according to a PHMSA press release.
The full list of grants is available through this link.
The grants come on the heels of PHMSA’s new requirements for all of the nation’s freight railroads to provide real-time information regarding hazardous materials involved in train derailments. First responder organizations have noted this information will help save lives, protect firefighters and improve public safety.
In June, PHMSA announced a final rule that requires railroads to proactively provide first responders with real-time, electronic information about rail hazmat shipments to the primary Public Safety Answering Point (for example, a 9-1-1 call center or emergency responder phone app such as the AskRail Mobile App) as soon as the railroad is aware of an accident or incident involving hazardous materials.