OmniTRAX Hosts Emergency Response Training for Colorado Railroad

Short Line Safety Institute and local fire departments convene for regional rapid response crisis training

Windsor, Colo. – June 24, 2024 – OmniTRAX, a comprehensive supply-chain and logistics solutions provider, and the transportation affiliate of The Broe Group, completed a multi-agency rail emergency response training exercise in Northern Colorado. The simulated event on Great Western Railroad, an OmniTRAX affiliate, included representation from Loveland Fire and Rescue Authority, Windsor Severance Fire Rescue, Great Western Railway, OmniTRAX, and the Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI).

“Emergency preparedness is essential to crisis prevention and management,” said OmniTRAX Senior Vice President of Health, Safety, and Environmental Programs Kayden Howard. “Proactive exercises like this offer invaluable hands-on training with rail cars and locomotives that help first responders rapidly diagnose and manage staged emergency scenarios. We are grateful to SLSI and our local emergency response partners for working together to keep our communities safe.”

The two-day training was part of the Short Line Safety Institute’s Hazardous Materials Instructor Training (HMIT) Program. The HMIT program helps railroads and their emergency response partners enhance hazmat response plans through a train-the-trainer format. The curriculum supplements the railroads’ existing training for their hazmat team, while adding collective industry insights and best practices. The classroom training and interactive field simulations are designed to enhance first responder crisis assessment, communication, and management. The Short Line Safety Institute’s expert instructors have more than 600 years of combined experience in hazardous materials transportation safety.

“We commend the Great Western Railroad for proactively including local area first responders in the Hazardous Materials Training class, which will lead to an educated, efficient, and coordinated response if an incident should occur,” said John Walsh, Director of Hazardous Materials Programs, SLSI.  “The SLSI was able to customize the hands-on and classroom training to the operations of the Great Western Railroad, providing the opportunity to role-play scenarios first responders and safety professionals are likely to experience.”

Since 2000, the national rail hazmat accident rate has plummeted by 75%. Today, more than 99.9% of all hazmat moved by rail reaches its destination without a release caused by a train accident, highlighting the safety of rail for even the most sensitive shipments.