AAR: Railroads leverage emergency dispatch services to increase AskRail access

The Association of American Railroads, working with member company Norfolk Southern Railway, recently integrated AskRail into emergency management agencies (EMAs) dispatching services in Columbiana County, Ohio, and Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

The initiative marks a "major stride" toward enhancing rail emergency response by ensuring first responders can quickly access the information they need to plan a safe response to rail-related emergency, AAR officials said in a press release.

Launched in 2014, the AskRail app was developed in partnership with the emergency response community to provide accurate, timely data about the hazardous materials transported in rail cars. This information can help first responders to make quick, informed decisions during a rail emergency.

Following the Feb. 3 NS train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, AAR and the rail industry conducted a thorough risk assessment of AskRail to identify areas for improvement.

AskRail subsequently has been integrated into CHEMTREC and CANUTEC’s 24/7 call centers in the United States and Canada, respectively. Through existing hazmat certification programs, first responders are trained to use these call centers for assistance in managing a chemical emergency response. This integration ensures that AskRail is now universally available to first responders in these two countries, AAR officials said.

However, according to AAR, railroads recognize that most volunteer fire departments may be unfamiliar with CHEMTREC. Volunteers make up nearly 82% of all U.S. fire departments and protect almost 30% of the U.S. population, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

Instead, when volunteer responders are called to the scene of an emergency, they are trained to utilize their county's EMA or Emergency Communications Centers (ECC), more commonly known as dispatch, as their primary line of communication.

By integrating AskRail into ECCs, railroads ensure those forces have access to vital information via established communications channels.