Three of Anacostia’s shortline railroads organize safety training for first responders
Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
Anacostia Rail Holdings
A trio of shortline railroads, affiliates of Anacostia Rail Holdings Company, helped train responders at four locations in two states on railroad safety and emergency response techniques.
Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad, Louisville & Indiana Railroad and Northern Lines Railway conducted the training sessions in Michigan City, Franklin, and Columbus, Ind., and St. Cloud, Minn. During September and October, more than 260 fire department and emergency response personnel in the two states received personalized training.
Tom Leopold, Anacostia’s chief safety and compliance officer, said, “The purpose of the training is to help emergency responders understand rail safety, tank car design, hazards and the support the railroad will provide in emergency situations.”
The training and special equipment were arranged with support from CSX, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, Indiana Harbor Belt and The Firefighters Education and Training Foundation.
The four-to-six-hour training sessions offered participants a balance between classroom education and hands-on learning, according to Leopold.
“Participants even had the opportunity to board locomotives and practice leak abatement on a tank car,” Leopold said. “We try to tailor programs to meet the needs of local emergency responders and work to build trust and understanding so that, in the event of an incident, the best possible outcome can be achieved.”
Anacostia’s railroads have conducted 16 multi-day tank car safety training sessions since they began the training in 2007.
On September 16, the Louisville & Indiana Railroad participated in a “Trauma Camp.” This event featured a simulated vehicle and train collision at Columbus, Ind. Multi-discipline teams responded to the scene, assessed the situation, extricated participants from a crushed vehicle and provided simulated medical treatment. To help add realism to the Trauma Camp, a trauma surgeon was flown in by helicopter from Indianapolis.
