Dangerous goods move through Calgary daily. What's the plan in the event of a disaster?
CBC
A toxic train derailment some 3,200 kilometres away from Calgary is putting a spotlight on rail safety in Canadian towns and cities where shipments of dangerous goods roll on a regular basis.
The City of Calgary's Disaster Risk Explorer warns that collisions, derailments and the release of hazardous goods are the types of incidents that can happen without warning. In a worst-case scenario, any of these has the potential for substantial harm to people, property, the environment and the economy.
"A major rail incident is rare," a city spokesperson said in an email, adding the industry has significant regulations, standards and protocols in place to mitigate the risk.
However, the city "is vulnerable to a rail incident as there are major rail lines carrying a high volume of dangerous goods throughout Calgary, including densely populated areas," according to the statement.
The city says it has an emergency response plan specific to freight rail corridors. It receives quarterly updates from the railways listing the dangerous goods that rumble through Calgary, and it regularly reviews safety and emergency management plans "regarding all potential risks that pose a threat to Calgary."
"That's why we, as the Calgary Fire Department, have made it a priority to have emergency response plans in place, training and resources to support an emergency response," said Deputy Chief Pete Steenaerts.
CFD training meets a number of standards set out by the National Fire Protection Association as it relates to hazardous materials, the competency of crews to deal with hazardous materials and pre-incident planning.
Calgary's fire department also trains with rail carrier personnel and their contracted responders in specialized hazardous materials training.
On Feb. 3, a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed near East Palestine, Ohio, igniting a fire and causing nearby homes to be evacuated.
Officials seeking to avoid an uncontrolled blast intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride from five railcars, sending flames and black smoke high into the sky. That left people questioning the potential health impacts even as authorities maintained they were doing their best to protect people.
Canadian Pacific Railway, headquartered in Calgary, says it transports hazardous materials in accordance with all applicable laws, including safety and environmental protection regulations.
"We continually strive to make the transportation of hazardous materials and other goods as safe as possible, meeting or exceeding applicable regulations and industry standards, investing in our network infrastructure, implementing advanced technologies to drive safety and working with our customers to continually improve the safety of their tank cars," the company said in a statement.
"CP has led the industry with the lowest train accident frequency rate in North America for 17 straight years, illustrating the effectiveness of our efforts to enhance public safety and protect the environment."
Following the disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Que., in 2013, railways were ordered to post a public report online with the breakdown of the top 10 dangerous goods they transport through a province and provide a public report that communities can access. The order was issued under what's called Protective Direction 36.
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