Amherst to bring derailment training to Lorain County

AMHERST — It’s been a month since a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine.

But long before that, an effort to bring hazmat training to Lorain County was underway.

Amherst Councilman Brian Dembinski, D-1st Ward, said he reached out to Norfolk Southern’s Operation Awareness and Response team last year, asking if the railway company had hazmat training for first responders.

Norfolk Southern’s hazmat training train will be in Lorain County in September, Dembinski said — available for free training for first responders throughout Lorain County and the surrounding area.

The railway’s training allows first responders to practice on a rolling lab, simulating what would happen if a train carrying hazardous materials derailed in their area.

Since 2019, the “safety train” has visited 23 communities across 14 states, according to Norfolk Southern’s website.

Dembinski noted when Amherst had a derailment in December 2020, it was lucky all that train was carrying was grain. But the situation brought the need for training into focus — something the ongoing cleanup in East Palestine has brought to the forefront again.

“Everyone is committed to this,” he said.

During a news conference in East Palestine on March 1, Gov. Mike DeWine touched on the need for training echoed by East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick.

DeWine said he’s spoken to fire chiefs throughout the state, and all have expressed interest in training for derailments. He said he spoke to the CEOs of Norfolk Southern and CSX and both companies expressed a “desire to work with us to dramatically increase that training.”

Much of the state’s rail miles run through rural areas with volunteer fire departments — like those in East Palestine, DeWine said — making training a goal of his.

“This affects not only East Palestine, but every community (a rail line) goes through,” he said.

Jessica Fetter, director of the Lorain County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said that the county is always planning for train derailments that involve hazardous materials.

“Lorain County is highly industrialized and a lot of hazardous chemicals are present in both facilities as well as those that travel through as we are

Communities awarded Ohio History Fund grants

Three Lorain County communities received funding from the state’s History Fund matching grant program. The competitive program awarded $185,624 in grants this year, with more than $40,000 coming to Lorain County.

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