UP conducts advanced safety course for emergency responders

Union Pacific Railroad earlier this month conducted advanced tank-car safety training for 26 emergency responders from 11 states at the Transportation Technology Center Inc.'s testing facility in Pueblo, Colo.

The five-day course, held June 8-12, covered various safety issues, including how to identify tank car types, tank car construction features, and the fittings and safety appliances on tank cars, according to a UP press release.

Participants received hands-on experience in assessing tank car damage, making repairs, controlling the release of hazardous materials from damaged rail cars and using proper protective clothing.

"Our advanced tank car safety programs are an important feature of our ongoing commitment to educating first responders in the communities we serve," said Mark Maday, Union Pacific's manager of hazardous materials training.

The course offers more hands-on experience than UP's basic five-day course that responders can use in the event of a rail accident involving hazardous materials.