Amtrak offered training to police and firefighters
Staff Report • February 25, 2009
FERNLEY--An estimated 60 firefighters, law enforcement officers and other emergency
responders received training from Amtrak officials on passenger railroad emergency response.
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The course was organized by North Lyon County Fire Protection District Division Chief/Training
Officer Scott Huntley who previously indicated the three hour course would inform firefighters and
police officers on ways to respond to passenger train emergencies.
Last Thursday, Amtrak Manager, Emergency Preparedness Police and Security Department,
David Albert told a class of about 30 participants that the course would provide information about
how the railroad operates and safety training information when dealing with a passenger rail car
incident.
Albert and Amtrak, Training Officer Charlie Cox offers the course to 24,000 agencies throughout
the U.S. and the NLCFPD was lucky to obtain such a class.
Attending the course, were NLCFPD firefighters, chief officers and District volunteer firefighters,
Lyon County Sheriff's Office deputies as well as firefighters and law enforcement from neighboring
agencies.
Albert covered railroad operations, dangers of railroad rights-of-way; avoiding hidden dangers and
a whole host of other hazards.
Also assisting with the training was Amtrak Engineer and Safety Committee member, Matt Reidy,
whose route is from Reno to Winnemucca, and who told the class he would like to develop a good
working relationship with local emergency responders.
Cox remarked that Amtrak realized the need to develop relationships with police, firefighters and
emergency responders after a railroad accident in Mobile, Alabama in the early 1990's which
resulted in 47 fatalities. The accident occurred on a bridge, which made it difficult for emergency
responders to rescue injured passengers.
Albert added in Fernley, there are 20 freight trains that travel through this area each day, and two
Amtrak passenger cars, as well as the Amtrak California-Zephyr, and with that amount of train
traffic, it could increase the chances of an incident.
The class covered such topics as railroad right of way, frequency of passenger and freight trains,
train speeds, bent rail, tunnels, and more.
The class was capped off with a trip to an Amtrak sleeper car, which was located on a railroad
spur behind Quebecore, a walk through tour of the car was conducted to point out emergency
access points, locations of electrical cables, batteries, and cables and other hazardous features.
