Norfolk Southern offers training to first responders

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – In the wake of the East Palestine derailment, Norfolk Southern is expanding a safety training program that has been around for years.

The training addressed the question that many communities with railroad tracks have following the East Palestine crash: Are we prepared for a similar disaster?

Norfolk Southern’s Training Train travels all over the country and is spending about two weeks in Bellevue, Ohio, one of 12 stops for the train this year.

First responders from communities of all sizes are invited to learn hands-on about a train’s valves, locomotive, and signage so they can know what trains are carrying and how to respond to an incident.

East Palestine’s deputy fire chief Rick Gorby said before this week’s training, he’d only ever done a tabletop exercise with Norfolk Southern. Now, he said he feels more prepared.

“I feel better prepared after Feb. 3 (the date of the derailment),” he said. “This class helps a lot. I recommend every department with a rail line going through their community to take this class.”

Norfolk Southern is currently working with state officials to establish a permanent safety training center in Ohio. In the meantime, the safety train is scheduled for a stop in Columbus in early May. The training is funded entirely by the railroad.