Naperville firefighter Jake DeMay puts on a hazmat suit Friday with the help of firefighter Mike Walsh before climbing on top of a tank car to stop a simulated chlorine leak. The Naperville Fire Department hosted a training for nearby departments in cooperation with Canadian National and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads focused on preparing firefighters for a possible hazardous materials emergency on freight cars.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
Railroad cars carrying hazardous materials travel through the Western suburbs on a regular basis, but it's not every day emergency responders can practice how to handle a potential derailment, fire or chemical spill.
On Friday, at least 50 fire and police personnel from Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook, Downers Grove, Lisle, Montgomery and Woodridge participated in a live training in which they practiced rescuing victims, mitigating a chlorine vapor cloud and conducting evacuations.
Naperville Fire Department Division Chief Kevin Lyne said the exercises took place in an industrial area near Naperville's public works facility, and they were conducted in cooperation with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Canadian National railroads.
"The railroads are pushing for the training, fire departments are looking for more training because it's not like we have access to trains on a regular basis," Lyne said.
He said Naperville organized the exercise in response to community concerns raised late this summer about the safety of railroad tank cars, specifically those carrying crude oil. Hazardous materials technicians practiced responding to spills based on the science of the chemicals, and about 20 other Naperville city employees practiced running emergency operations and communications during Friday's session.
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Naperville firefighters in hazmat suits stem a simulated chlorine leak Friday on a tank car in Naperville. At least 50 fire and police personnel from Naperville and nearby towns participated Friday in a railroad emergency training session.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
Naperville firefighter Jake DeMay undergoes decontamination after stemming a simulated chlorine leak on a railroad tank car Friday during a training session in Naperville Friday. He said it "steamed up pretty quick," inside the suit, but he's confident he'll be ready for a real emergency thanks to the training.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
Naperville firefighters take special precautions during a training session Friday while removing a dummy with simulated chlorine poisoning. The dummy was put on a tarp which was folded up and held in place with a cardboard wall to contain the chlorine.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com