Group tells Congress many firefighters, especially rural, aren't ready to deal with crude-oil train fires

Fireball from exploding train
car at Casselton, N.D., Dec. 30.

A firefighters' group told Congress Wednesday that many fire departments, especially rural ones, are not properly trained to deal with hazardous-materials incidents, a rising concern because crude-oil transport by rail has become more common, Curtis Tate reports for McClatchy Newspapers.

Budget cuts have impeded efforts to keep firefighters trained and informed about new hazards, said Elizabeth Harman, assistant to the general president for training and grants at the International Association of Fire Fighters.

Of the fire departments that deal with hazardous-materials accidents, 65 percent have not trained all of their workers for such incidents, Harman told the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials. "This is an untenable situation that must be rectified," she said. A 2011 National Fire Protection Association survey showed that 77 percent of departments "have at least some hazardous materials response capability; the majority of those that lack it are in rural areas," Tate reports.

Because railroads are hauling larger amounts of flammable liquids such as ethanol and crude oil, accidents can be very complicated and dangerous. Fewer than 10,000 carloads of crude oil were transported in 2008, but more than 400,000 were transported last year, according to the railroad industry. Harlan said many firefighters who only have basic training in this area are "unqualified to do anything more than call for help." Operations training, the level above basic training as outlined by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, would be more useful for first responders, he said. (Read more)