(The following story by Matt Woolbright appeared on the San Antonio Express-News website on June 8, 2009.)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — A 392,000-pound gift to the San Antonio Fire Department’s training academy was hoisted onto a 138-wheel flatbed trailer Monday and driven across town to its new home.
The eight-mile trip from the rail yards on Quintana Road to the training academy on South Callaghan Street took a little more than an hour, fire officials said. When it was done, the Fire Department had its own locomotive — a welcome addition to the four railcars, two tank cars, a boxcar and a hopper cart it already has.
“A lot of this equipment has very specific elements to it,” said Thomas McNulty, chief of training for the Fire Department. “There is no substitute to having the actual thing.”
The donated locomotive from Union Pacific will be used to help prepare firefighters and first responders to better react to train accidents.
Local fire officials requested the locomotive after Union Pacific built a rail and chemical hazard training site at the academy — complete with 300 feet of railroad track — in January 2008. The request was granted four months ago when UP selected the engine, officials said.
Since 1994, Union Pacific has taken each cadet class from the academy for one day and trained them in first response and dangerous chemical handling procedures. The cadets were transported to the rail yards and trained on location, but now training can take place at the academy.
“The partnership between Union Pacific and the San Antonio Fire Department has been strong for the last 15 years, and we have participated in every training class,” Paul K. Person, Union Pacific’s manager for environmental field operations, said. “This is another effort to work with the fire department for rail safety and the best interest of the city of San Antonio.”
Former Councilwoman Delcia Herrera said this is part of larger plan to make the training academy one of the finest in the country so first responders from across the United States will travel here to train.
“We will finally have the most important infrastructure in place at the academy,” she said.