UP trains emergency responders in crude-by-rail safety tactics

Union Pacific Railroad last week conducted crude-by-rail safety training for 39 emergency response personnel from eight states, the railroad announced yesterday.

The training focused on sharpening the emergency responders' skills to better prepare them in the event of a crude-by-rail incident in or near their respective communities.

UP reaches out to fire departments and other emergency responders along its lines to offer comprehensive training to first responders within the cities and towns where the railroad operates. The company annually trains about 2,500 local, state and federal first responders to minimize the impact of a potential derailment.

Since 2003, the Class I has trained nearly 38,000 public responders and nearly 7,500 private responders from shippers and contractors. In 2015, the railroad trained 119 emergency responders specifically on crude-by-rail transportation.

Last week's training covered safety subjects including identification of tank car types that transport crude; tank car fittings; tank car construction; chemical and physical properties of the different types of crude oil; and crude oil response precautions. Participants received hands-on experience in assessing tank car damage; making certain on-site repairs; controlling the release of crude oil from damaged rail cars; and crude oil fire suppression techniques, UP officials said.