PORTAGE, Wis. — At 8 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) will conduct an emergency response exercise at its rail yard in Portage, Wis., the railway announced in a press release.
Canadian Pacific will work with local emergency response agencies and Onyx/Superior Special Services to practice public emergency response procedures at a simulated collision between a train and parked rail cars. In the drill scenario, responders will be told that police received a threat 24 hours earlier against the transportation system.
Residents may hear sirens and see smoke and see emergency vehicles and media responding to the scene.
This exercise will involve representatives of CPR, federal agencies, hospitals, the state of Wisconsin, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, schools and police, fire, ambulance, the coroner’s office, media, emergency management and hazardous materials teams from several surrounding communities.
The purpose of the drill is to test emergency responders’ ability to handle a crisis.
Media need to report at 8 a.m. to a railroad garage at 400 W. Oneida St. for a health and safety briefing before setting up. The exercise is to end at 11:45 a.m.
CPR’s 14,000-mile network serves the principal centers of Canada, from Montreal to Vancouver, and the U.S. Northeast and Midwest regions. CPR’s track feeds directly into the Chicago hub from the East and West coasts. Alliances with other carriers extend CPR’s market reach into the major business centers of Mexico.