OMAHA, Neb. –

A new federal rule that was finalized on Monday will ensure that first responders are able to find out the hazardous chemicals present in a train almost instantly after a derailment, so they can respond accordingly.

In past disasters, such as the fiery Norfolk Southern derailment last year in East Palestine (Ohio), firefighters have risked their life trying to extinguish fires without knowing how to respond. The local fire chief who was responsible for the response said that it took him 45 mins to find out what was inside the 11 burning tanks on the train. However, some firefighters from other departments who came to help claimed they didn’t even know what they were dealing until two hours after a Feb. 3, 2023 crash.

Tristan Brown, the deputy administrator of the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the agency that proposed this rule, said that first responders must know which hazardous materials are in a train, so they can check the guidebook and ensure they have the proper protective gear and firefighting equipment.

The size of the evacuation zone will depend on what chemicals are involved and how much is aboard.

Brown said: “There are many different types and quantities of hazardous materials that are transported across the United States every day. One in ten goods are transported across the United States. Each one poses a unique risk and hazard, especially to those who are running away from a fire.” “But also for anyone who may live or work in that area.”

The rule was published one day before the National Transportation Safety Board final hearing on the East Palestine Derailment. They will discuss what caused the crash and recommend ways to prevent similar disasters.

Train crews carry lists of their cargo inside the cabs. But in the chaos that follows a derailment, engineers and conductors who may have moved their locomotives many miles down the track are not always immediately available.

It’s for this reason that the largest freight railroads developed AskRail, an app around a decade back. This app allows firefighters to quickly check the details of each train. Not all firefighters had the app and cell phones may not have a strong enough signal to work during a disaster.

Regulators are asking railroads to expand access to the app, including to centers that offer 911 services, so that information can reach first responders faster. Over the past year, railroads have expanded access. The Association of American Railroads estimates that 2.3 million first-responders now have access to this information as a result of efforts to expand into dispatch centres.

The six largest railroads make information about train cargo available immediately through the hazardous materials hotlines of the chemical industry in the U.S.A. and Canada, known as CHEMTREC and CANUTEC.

Norfolk Southern announced that it is also working on a new program called RapidSOS, which will allow the railroad directly send information to first responders about its trains after a derailment – instead of forcing them look up the details using AskRail. The railroad said that its work is in line with the new rule.

The new federal rule applies to hundreds of smaller railroads who are not involved in AskRail. Even railroads with only one or two employees must now have a plan in place to quickly get vital details about their cargo to local fire departments, even if it is as simple as having a fire chief’s mobile phone number on hand. Railroads must also test their plan every year.

“In a hazardous materials incident, firefighters and the first responders who arrive on scene need to be aware of what type of hazardous material is present so that they can protect themselves as well as their communities,” U.S. Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated.

More information could have helped firefighters respond.

The derailment led to a national reckoning on railroad safety. Congress proposed changes, and regulators such as Buttigieg urged railroads to do even more to prevent derailments.

The Federal Railroad Administration issued various advisories on different aspects of railroad operation. However, reforms in Congress are stalled as Republicans wanted to await the final NTSB Report and regulators had limited success in making changes.