(Canadian Pacific issued the following news release on August 6.)
VELVA, N.D. — Canadian Pacific Railway will participate in an emergency response exercise Saturday, Aug. 9, at CF Industries in Velva, N.D.
Canadian Pacific Railway helped plan the simulated accident involving a truck and the storage facilities at CF Industries.
Residents may hear sirens and see emergency vehicles and media responding to the scene.
This exercise will include representatives of CPR, CF Industries, Dakota Midland Grain, the Federal Railroad Administration, a hospital, state and county agencies, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, schools, police and fire departments from Velva, Sawyer and Drake, an ambulance service, media and Minot’s regional hazardous materials response team.
The purpose of the drill is to test the participants’ ability to respond to a hazardous materials incident in a cooperative fashion for the protection of the public and the environment.
Emphasis is being placed on incident management, communications, agency interaction, support of mutual aid and testing the public notification system.
Media need to report by 8 a.m. at the Velva school, 101 W. Fourth St., for a health and safety briefing. The exercise will begin at 9 a.m. and is to end by noon.
Canadian Pacific Railway, recognized internationally for its scheduled railway operations, is a transcontinental carrier operating in Canada and the US Its 14,000-mile rail network serves the principal centers of Canada, from Montreal to Vancouver, and the US Northeast and Midwest regions. CPR feeds directly into America’s heartland from the East and West coasts. Alliances with other carriers extend its market reach throughout the US and into Mexico.