Responders trained on oil train crashes

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. – With the increase of crude oil shipped by rail through Skagit County and other areas of Western Washington, oil train safety is a hot topic among emergency managers and first responders in the area, particularly in the event that one of those trains should crash.

About 120 emergency responders, including firefighters, police officers and officials from local refineries and public works departments attended a workshop on oil train crash response Saturday in Mount Vernon.

The training involved a classroom session covering how railway companies handle hazardous material and demonstrations of the components of tank cars.

“It’s really to familiarize local responders with the cars,” said Mark Watkinson, interim director of the Skagit County Department of Emergency Management. “We want them to know what parts and pieces are there and how they function.”

Organizers invited firefighters and others who work in disaster management from across the region. Fire officials say that if an oil train was to crash, a response would likely need to come from a wide range of emergency teams.

“It’s important that we work regionally,” Mount Vernon Fire Chief Roy Hari said. “That’s why it’s great to have everyone in the same training together.”

A crash in Skagit County could be devastating.

Rail tracks bisect the county’s most densely populated areas and in some locations the tracks are just 600 feet from the Skagit River. Rail lines also cut through valley farmland and along delicate marine environments.