Railroads work to make sure firefighters can quickly look up what is on a train after a derailment

abcnews.go.com:

The railroad industry is trying to make sure that emergency responders can quickly look up what is on a train quickly when they respond to a derailment

OMAHA, Neb. — In the chaos after a Norfolk Southern train careened off the tracks and caught fire in eastern Ohio in February, it took roughly 45 minutes for firefighters to learn exactly which chemicals were involved.

Now the railroad industry is trying to ensure that never happens again.

Ever since that Feb. 3 derailment prompted concerns about rail safety nationwide, the major railroads have redoubled their efforts to make sure that more and more first responders can immediately look up the contents of any freight train.

This week, the two counties that handled the initial response to the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border were set up with the AskRail program that will allow dispatchers to look up everything a train is carrying as soon as they get one car number. That is part of an effort the Association of American Railroads trade group launched this spring to sign up emergency dispatch centers in the program.

“It’s going to allow us to make better, more informed decisions quicker — not only for the responders but for the community,” said Eric Brewer, director of emergency services in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

Previously, first responders would have to either track down the train crew to get a copy of the train's contents or reach out to the railroad directly — both of which can take precious time.

Knowing which hazardous materials are on a train is key to helping firefighters decide how to respond and whether evacuations are needed. For some chemicals, specialized firefighting foam may be needed instead of water and in some cases,