New rules ‘step in the right direction’
Info will help local authorities to plan, train for emergencies
New rules requiring railways to tell municipalities what dangerous goods are being hauled across their boundaries are “a step in the right direction,” Parkland County fire Chief Jim Phelan says.
Last month, 13 CN train cars carrying liquefied propane and crude oil derailed in the county near the hamlet of Gainford, west of Edmonton, creating an explosion and fire that forced 126 people from their homes for more than three days.
It was the latest in a series of rail accidents that included the July 6 tragedy in Lac-Mégantic, Que., when oil-laden tanker cars derailed and exploded into flames, killing dozens of people and destroying the town centre.
On Wednesday, Transport Minister Lisa Raitt ordered railway companies that transport dangerous goods to immediately start giving municipalities detailed dangerous goods information every three months.
Any other company or person that carries such material will have to inform municipalities annually what was hauled through the community.
None of these details must be provided in advance, but Phelan said the data will be helpful.
“Anything is of benefit to us in terms of tools to plan for emergencies, to resource for emergencies, to train for emergencies,” he said.
“We have no idea what types of hazardous material are even transported through our municipality.”
Until now, carriers weren’t required to outline for local governments the kinds and amounts of hazardous material they’re carrying, Phelan said.
“We certainly see this as a step in the right direction.”
However, the new rules wouldn’t have changed the way the Gainford derailment was handled, because crews were able to get the cargo manifest from the lead locomotive that showed them what was on board, he said.
They had practised dealing with incidents involving propane and crude oil, he said.
“Had it been a more exotic type of hazardous material that we weren’t trained for, it would have been a different scenario.”
Mayor Don Iveson called the minister’s actions a positive step. “The feds have moved quickly here after Lac-Mégantic to ensure that cities and towns know what kinds of potentially hazardous material is moving through the community,” he said.
“That’s really important for all of us from a disaster training and preparedness point of view, and planning … what to put near a rail line.”
Joanne Sheardown, director of Edmonton’s office of emergency management, said CN and CP Rail already tell the city what products come through the city, although not the quantities.
The four main hazardous goods transported in Edmonton are ammonia, chlorine, petroleum-based products and sulphur.
Fire rescue’s hazardous materials team also works with railway staff on how to handle accidents such as tanker rollovers, she said.
Sheardown doesn’t expect the federal rules will make a big difference in Edmonton.
“In some ways this regulation is really good, because it gives us the bigger picture, but it isn’t going to change the way we train,” she said.
“We prepare for ammonia (for example). It doesn’t matter what quantity.”