Norfolk Southern’s ‘Safety Train’ delivers railroad emergency training to Lexington first responders

LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Norfolk Southern’s safety train rolled into Lexington Tuesday to provide hands-on training for local first responders.

For years, Norfolk Southern has prioritized railroad safety, which includes its Operation Awareness and Response Program, offering first responders free training on responding to railroad incidents.

In 2023, Norfolk Southern had 12 Safety Train events, training 1,947 first responders. This year, the train is expanding its reach, with 20 scheduled stops.

The training includes tank car identification and assessment, tank car valves and fittings, locomotive emergencies, responding to railroad emergencies, and response strategies and tactics.

“Being able to get their hands on and see it and understand that while this tank car may be carrying the same product that a truck they’re going to deal with is, there’s a lot of differences and they’ve been interested in what makes this different than that, how to keep themselves safe, and what the railroad does when we do have an issue,” said Norfolk Southern Manager of Hazardous Materials Brian Shanks.

With the February 2023 East Palestine train derailment, railroad safety is more prevalent than ever.

“We want to be prepared because we do have railcars coming through here and hopefully to prevent an event like that happening here,” said Lexington-Fayette Emergency Response Management Public Information Officer Emily Fay.

One of the biggest reasons for this safety training is that it’s not normally included in a firefighter’s average training.

“It’s so very rarely taught at a level that most of the firemen are going to receive; even your paid departments, let alone your volunteers, are going to see very little of this training,” added Shanks. “So we feel it’s necessary to have them understand how to keep themselves safe because if they’re safe, then their community can stay safe during an incident.”

“We’re hoping this increases our awareness of these types of incidents in the case that one happens, which we hope it never does, so that when we respond, we’re confident in our response times and our responsibilities to hopefully help those who were affected by the incident,” said Fay.

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Shanks said building railroad connections in case something like this were to ever happen is vital.

“Knowing who we are and being able to use it as a jumping-off point to get to the rest of the railroad is hugely important,” said Shanks. “Especially when we have an issue or they have an issue, we can work together.”

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