8342936821

TRANSCAER" Introduces Crude Oil by Raił Response Safety Training

By Suzanne Lemieux, American Petroleum Institute, NTTG Member

The oil and raił Industries are

commifted to the safety of the workers, first responders, and communiłies through which their Products and trains move. Working in conjunction with other efforts, including programs developed by the railroads, the Security ond Emergency Response Training Center, and others, the oil ond raił industries have developed the TRANSCAER® Crude Oil by Raił Response Safety Training, The purpose of this training is to provide additional guidance to first responders to prepare them for potentiol issues related to trains corrying crude oil. This TRANSCAER® training is meant to complement existing training efforts and to provide an accessible, easily distributed program, similar to the TRANSCAER® Chłonne and Anhydrous Ammonia programs, to assist communities prepare for and to respond to a possible hazordous malerials

Starting in eady 2014, the oil (North Ametica's largestproducers and shippers) and roił (oil North American Class I carriers) industries agreed to work collaboratively to identify and implement proven practices to prevent, mitigote and respond to risks assoćated with moving crude oil by raił. To implement this strategy, the oil and raił industries developed joint workgroups that have ond continue to identify and address prevention, mitigation and response to ensure a comprehensive approoch to sofely moving crude by raił. The joint Emergency Response (ER) Workgroup wos developed to share best practices ond lessons leamed and to identify where the oil and raił industries could add to the preparedness of the communities through which products ond services are routed. To this end, the ER workgroup spent much of the summer developing a training module for first responders, which addresses the things they should know when responding to a raił incident involving crude oil. The training development is in the finał stages and will be provided to the National TRANSCAER® Task Group for review and consideration this Winter. Once finolized and produced, we look forward to a robust campaign, through the TRANSCAER® network and the oil ond raił industries, to bring this training to first responders across the nation, free of charge.

These efforts are important because America is experiencing an energy revival. In 2013, the U.S. become the world's top producer of petroleum and naturol gas, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia, but the continued growth of North American energy resources is dependent upon a strong, safe transportation infrastructure. The geographic diversity of the railroads, coupled with the non-traditional location of new energy resources, has led to a mutually beneficial partnership between the oil and raił industries as resources are produced and transported from previously untapped areas. The Nation's roilroods provide a critical piece of the infrastructure, which will ensure the U.S. energy renaissance eon continue to provide jobs, imrestments and inereased domestic energy security. To ensure we can continue to utilize this robust and dynamie network, we must collaboratively demonstrate our ability to move crude oil safely, efficiently and in an environmentally tesponsible manner through communities across the nation. Preparing first responders is a critical element of our efforts to enhance community preporedness, confidence and acceptance. ■

DON'T MISS OUT...

FREE CRUDE OIL TRAINING!

This spring, TRANSCAER® crude oil training will commence as part of a joint effort between Team members of the American Petroleum Institute and the Association ASSOCIATION OF    of American Railroads. Responders and interested community stakeholders can

AMERICAN RAILROADS expect FREE CRUDE OIL TRAINING offered in the following States:

energy

iPI

•J PETROLEUM INSTITUTE

California	Louisiana	North Dakota	i Pennsylvania
Illinois	Missouri	Ohio	! Texas
Iowa	Nebraska	Oklahoma	: Washington
Kansas	New York	Oregon	i Wisconsin