Press release:
Christina Marinaccio and LoriAnn Santini, members of the Genesee County Emergency Support Unit (ESU) recently traveled to Pueblo, Colo., to attend the FEMA funded Crude by Rail Emergency Response (CBR) training program.
The program took place on July 24, 25 and 26 and provided the first responders basic knowledge, skills, and abilities to respond to incidents involving crude by rail.
The program, delivered over three days, included more than 60 percent of field exercise. The CBR program covered the history of crude oil, chemical and physical properties of the different crude oil transported, basic site and damage assessment, tank car design and construction.
Additional subjects included: tactical product control methods including the application of firefighting foam agents; water and spill control procedures; planning for crude oil incidents and the environmental impacts.
The practical evolutions include a demonstration of crude oil fires, boil overs, and foam applications as applied to crude oil incidents by rail and advanced firefighting techniques. The practical evolutions culminate in a full-scale derailment exercise.
To date, six Genesee County Hazardous Materials team members have completed the CBR program.
