advertisement

---

Last month, 23 emergency responders completed a tank car safety course sponsored by Union Pacific Railroad at the Association of American Railroad's Transportation Technology Center Inc. (TTCI) in Pueblo, Colo.

During the five-day, 40-hour program, students received classroom training on identifying tank car types and fittings during an emergency. The course also included hands-on drills to train students on assessing tank car damage and making repairs, transferring hazardous materials from damaged equipment, and using protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus.

The program's "final exam" comprised several haz-mat accident simulations to help students understand how UP officials work with responders during an emergency and what safety precautions are necessary on railroad property.

Since 1986, UP has sponsored 34 five-day training programs at TTCI for emergency responders located in communities served by the railroad. The Class I also has offered local haz-mat training programs since 1979. During the past 25 years, more than 160,000 emergency responders have completed the training programs.