Train crash simulation set for March

By Staff Reports
Feb 25, 2010

Photo by Tony Lewis

A train derailment disaster simulation will be held March 11 to help train emergency personnel how to respond if the event should ever happen near the campus. The simulation will include a mock display of an overturned rail car leaking chemicals and fumes. The disaster simulation will be held near the train tracks of Old Main and the Mary Livermore Library.

As safety remains a major concern for University officials, a train derailment exercise will be held on March 11, beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m.

The disaster simulation will be held near the train tracks of both Old Main and the Mary Livermore Library.

The disaster simulation will include a mock display of an overturned rail car leaking toxic chemicals and fumes into the nearby University and community.

University officials planned the event during Spring Break to inconvenience the fewest number of students, faculty and staff. However, community and campus awareness of the event is important.

For the University and Community Relations Division, which includes Campus Police, it will be the third “disaster” drill it has coordinated in two years.

Because a major railroad line runs through the south end of campus, the University is vulnerable to potential hazards, said Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Safety Rick Boyd.

“Upwards of 50 trains travel through Robeson County on a daily basis, and the possibility for disaster is always present,” Boyd said.

A “tabletop” exercise was conducted on Feb. 17 to prepare for the fullscale event on March 11. All parties involved with the simulation attended the four-hour program, including local law enforcement, campus police, CSX law enforcement officials, University administrators, fire and rescue, state and regional emergency and hazmat officials.

The tabletop exercise was conducted by EnviroSafe, a consultant from Graham, N.C., who will also conduct the fullscale exercise on March 11. EnviroSafe provides specialized services and solutions to assist in preparing for emergency responses in the case of a disaster.

E n v i r o S a f e ’ s President and CEO Kevin Dull led the exercise. “You never know what’s going to happen, but if you’re better prepared, the outcome will be better,“ Dull said.

During the exercise, all issues were checked off and evaluated. One priority was crisis communication to alert the students and campus community.

As the tabletop concluded, Vice Chancellor for University and Community Relations Dr. Glen Burnette thanked the participants.

“I am glad we had the opportunity to connect with external emergency personnel,” Dr. Burnette said. “It’s been a great learning experience for our campus community because it provides us the opportunity to test and hone our emergency operations plans.”

When asked his thoughts, Campus Police Chief McDuffie Cummings said the tabletop was “an excellent training opportunity for Campus Police and other organizations.

“This gives us a chance to test our organization’s alert systems, including text message alerts, sirens and marquees,” Chief Cummings said. “It is important how we get the word out and react to the real life scenario. This can happen; we hope it doesn’t. This type of exercise gives us a leg up on the training needed to deal with these types of incidents.”

For more information, contact the Division for Community and University Relations at (910) 521-6249 or relations@ uncp.edu.