Rail Car Incident Response (AWR-147)

Course Flyer 

Course Date(s) & Time(s): 8 total hours 

• Saturday, June 29th – 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Course Description: AWR-147 is an eight (8) hour, DHS/FEMA-certified, tuition-free, awareness-level course developed to educate rural emergency responders on freight rail car incidents involving hazardous materials. Because most freight rail traffic traverses rural areas, it is imperative that rural responders, especially those in resource-limited areas, understand the dangers and other unique hazards these incident present. Safeguards are commonly implemented to prevent hazardous materials from causing harm under normal transportation, storage, handling, and use. If any of these safeguards are circumvented, there is potential for great harm. Upon completion of this course, participants will be better prepared to respond to a freight rail car incident without endangering the health and safety of responders.

Topics included (but not limited to):

• Design, construction, components and markings of rail tank cars

• Recognition and identification of chemicals being transported

• Scene assessment and identification of potential hazards

• Mitigation strategies for breached freight cars

• Key resources identification from rail/freight industry as well as federal, state, and private resources.

Target Audience: Firefighters; other first responders including law enforcement; emergency management personnel as well as other community stakeholders, including railroad representatives are ideal participants for this course. 

Course Prerequisites (Mandatory): N/A

Course Prerequisites (Recommended): N/A

Course Location: Northampton County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) – 100 Gracedale Avenue, Nazareth, PA 18064 – (Directions)

Course Registration: MUST register through the RDPC website by visiting: CLICK HERE   

• MUST register by June 16, 2024. Minimum of twenty (20) registrations must be received by June 16ht to ensure the class will be held.

• FEMA Student ID (SID) Number is REQUIRED. Visit FEMA to obtain your free SID # at: CLICK HERE

Additional Information / Notes: Lunch WILL BE provided to participants.

• For more information regarding this course, please contact: Susan Bloomfield at susan.bloomfield@finlay.edu or call 419-434-4353.

Inquiries?: Contact Northampton County EM Training & Operations Manager – Mr. Mike Rampulla via email at mrampulla@ncem-pa.org or by phone by calling 610-746-3194 x3229.