Mike Wolanin | The Republic A view of a train on the Louisville & Indiana tracks alongside Indianapolis Road in Columbus, Ind., Monday, Nov. 21, 2022.
COLUMBUS, Ind. — Local first responders say they regularly undergo training on how to coordinate a multi-agency response in the event of a train derailment — including scenarios in which toxic chemicals are spilled.
The issue of rail accidents and how to respond to them has received national attention in recent weeks after dozens of freight train cars derailed in an Ohio town earlier this month, including 10 cars that were carrying hazardous materials, The Associated Press reported.
The derailment, on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, prompted evacuations when toxic chemicals were burned after being released from five derailed tanker rail cars carrying vinyl chloride that were in danger of exploding, according to The Associated Press.
The derailment and its aftermath has left residents there questioning the potential health effects even as authorities maintained they were doing their best to protect people.
It also raised questions about rail safety across the country, including in Bartholomew County, where freight trains run northbound and southbound near the city’s drinking water well field south of Columbus.
Currently, it is unclear what types of hazardous materials, if any, are hauled through Bartholomew County by rail.
The Federal Railroad Administration, which enforces rail safety regulations, including the transportation of hazardous materials, declined to disclose what types of hazardous materials have been hauled through Bartholomew County in the past or this year.
The Louisville & Indiana Railroad, which owns the rail line that runs underneath the overpass on the Columbus’ west side also declined to disclose what types of hazardous materials, if any, are shipped through the county, citing security concerns.
However, local officials said they are under the impression “that there isn’t a huge amount of (hazardous) chemicals” transported by rail through the county.
For its part, the Columbus Fire Department undergoes training and participate in exercises and a “large-scale disaster drill” that often involve rail incidents, including “derailment or some sort of chemical release,” said spokesman Capt. Mike Wilson.
“We do actually prepare for railway incidents,” Wilson said. “…We identify all the considerations we need to take care of in terms of public safety, evacuations.”
“There is a lot to it,” Wilson added. “Those are very dynamic types of scenes and require a lot of people.”
For the complete story, see Sunday’s Republic.
