BNSF News

BNSF Shows Commitment to Community Through TRANSCAER Support

2009-10-05

Every day, hazardous materials move without incident on rail throughout the country. But sometimes an incident occurs in which hazardous materials are released into the environment.

When that happens, local fire and police are usually the first on the scene to help with securing the area - and making sure everyone is safe. Who helps them learn how to do that? TRANSCAER® (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response) is a voluntary national outreach effort that focuses on assisting communities prepare for and respond to a possible hazardous material transportation incident.

Corporations like BNSF help provide support and volunteers for TRANSCAER® so that first responders can protect the people in communities along the railroad in the unlikely event an incident occurs. Arizona TRANSCAER® and Texas TRANSCAER® have both hosted events recently in communities BNSF serves to help make sure first responders are prepared.

"We offer TRANSCAER® outreach all of the time," said Brock Lowman, manager, Hazmat Programs and Community Relations, and 2009 TRANSCAER® national vice chairman. "BNSF is a big player in TRANSCAER®." TRANSCAER® promotes the safe transportation and handling of hazardous materials by educating and assisting communities near major transportation routes about hazardous materials.

TRANSCAER® also helps with community emergency response planning for these hazardous materials. BNSF recently assisted with TRANSCAER® training sessions in Arizona and Texas. "We have a variety of training sessions from two-hour classroom sessions to outside hands on sessions to statewide, multiple-day tours. We also promote and hold field exercises," Lowman said. "This gives first responders a chance to handle hazardous materials in a non-crisis situation and under the supervision of experts."

In Arizona, TRANSCAER® training sessions were held at Flagstaff, Ash Fork, Wickenburg and Winslow. Participants included, in addition to area first responders, state and county emergency management and the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

In Texas, sessions were held in Fort Worth. Pat Brady, assistant director, Hazardous Materials, and president of Texas TRANSCAER®, said interest in this area was particularly high right now because of a recent alleged terrorist bomb attempt in nearby Dallas.

"The importance of being prepared really hits home when you have an incident such as this in your own backyard," Brady said. "Although it wasn't a transportation incident, the first responders from Fort Worth could easily have been called in to help with the aftermath had a bomb actually detonated."

Lowman said BNSF's support for TRANSCAER® is part of the company's overarching commitment to safety. "We have a vision of an incident- and injury-free workplace," Lowman said. "We work to make sure that communities we serve and their response personnel are trained and knowledgeable to be able to make a safe response should the need arise."

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