Watco celebrates new Alabama STAT Center

Written by Maggie Lancaster, assistant editor
image description

Watco Companies celebrated a new Safety Through Awareness and Training (STAT) Center with a ribbon cutting.

The state-of-the-art facility is located in Fairfield, Ala. and will be home to training hundreds of Watco team members each year. The center was created as Watco ramped up efforts to provide standardized safety training for all team members. The company said that the addition of the STAT Center will ensure that team members receive the same training regardless of their location.

The new facility features classroom space, breakout session space, a functional model railroad to assist in non-traditional learning instruction of railroad operations, a simulator room with two FRA Type II Simulators, two portable desktop type simulators, and an indoor components training area with a cutaway railcar, air brake simulator rack and other hands-on tools for training operating and mechanical personnel.

“The important thing to focus on is what this will do for Watco,” Travis Herod, Watco senior vice president of safety and training, said. “It’s taking our training to the next level, incorporating the same modern training technologies and tools that Class 1s are using, equipping people better in the field to operate new equipment and to work more safely and efficiently.”

Tags: