JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation, the largest railroad in the eastern United States, is boosting its initiative to keep emergency responders prepared for rail-based accidents. A comprehensive new CSXT emergency planning guide is now in place in more than 2,500 state and local emergency response and planning agencies across the eastern United States. The new manual gives detailed information concerning a wide range of possible occurrences, including the threat of terrorism.
“We feel a strong responsibility to help the communities along our lines prepare and plan for emergency events,” said Skip Elliott, assistant general manager-hazardous material systems. “Our company’s goal is zero accidents, and we work very hard at prevention. But accidental spills, derailments, highway- rail crossing incidents, and other emergencies can occur along our network, so we feel duty-bound to ensure readiness among our emergency response partners.”
The Maryland Department of Environment is one such active emergency- response partner. Mike Sharon, who heads the department’s emergency team, is an alumnus of CSXT emergency response and preplanning courses. He and his fellow responders receive more than 500 calls a year for expert assistance across the state on incidents involving oil, chemicals, radiation, or, as a new element, biological agents. “Our success working quickly and efficiently with railroad incidents is because of our ongoing relationship with CSXT in our state,” said Sharon. “We work well together because we know each other and train together. CSXT is an integral part of all of our emergency planning and training.”
In addition to providing the emergency readiness guide, CSXT conducts a wide array of training programs covering correct handling of chemicals, gases, and other environmental hazards. CSXT also conducts hazardous materials instruction at the Association of American Railroad’s Emergency Response Training Center in Pueblo, Colo. There, emergency personnel from around the country face true-to-life conditions as they learn to deal with fires, leaks, spills and other railroad emergencies. In 2001, more than 5,000 emergency personnel attended CSXT training programs.
CSXT and its 35,000 employees provide rail transportation and distribution services over a 23,000 route-mile network in 23 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces. CSXT is a business unit of CSX Corporation (NYSE: CSX – News), headquartered in Richmond, Va.