Florida East Coast Railway Provides Safety Training for Emergency Responders

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 26, 2017 -- Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway recently offered a unique training experience for emergency responders in Volusia and Palm Beach Counties regarding railway safety associated with various equipment utilized in daily rail operations.

FEC partnered with The Safety Train, an independent organization that operates a tank car training train equipped with an onboard classroom and tank cars, to enable experts from FEC, other railroads and environmental services companies to provide hands on instruction regarding hazardous materials transportation equipment and LNG. 

“Our goal is to provide employees, customers and first responders in the communities we serve with the knowledge required to help us be the safest and most reliable railroad in North America. The safety for our employees and communities is our primary mission as we strive to provide timely service to our customers,” explained Fran Chinnici, SVP and Chief Operating Officer at FEC.

Pioneering the Use of Safe, Natural and Sustainable

FEC has pioneered the use of LNG as a locomotive fuel. LNG is simply safe, clean-burning natural gas that has been used in homes for over a century. In liquefied form, it provides a safe, portable fuel alternative like that being used for tractor trailers, city buses, cruise ships and ferry boats. LNG offers FEC the opportunity to improve its carbon footprint and reduce emissions for a cleaner environment in the communities we serve.

“As we continue to implement the latest equipment, processes and technology to improve our operations and overall sustainability, we simultaneously ensure the highest level of safety and reliability,” says Chinnici. FEC plans to conduct similar training with other counties on Florida’s east coast in the days ahead.

FEC Maintains Rigorous Safety Procedures
FEC’s mainline is made up of state-of-the-art, head-hardened, continuous welded rail, concrete ties, defect detectors and Automatic Train Control (ATC) technology, which prevents train-to-train collisions on the rail network.

About Florida East Coast Railway
The Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) is a 351-mile freight rail system located along the east coast of Florida. It is the exclusive rail provider for PortMiami, Port Everglades, and Port of Palm Beach. FEC Railway connects to the national railway system in Jacksonville, FL, to move cargo originating or terminating there. Based in Jacksonville, FL, FEC provides end-to-end intermodal and carload solutions to customers who demand cost-effective and premium quality. Learn more at fecrwy.com.

Media Contact:  Robert Ledoux, (904) 279-3111, [email protected]

About the Safety Train
The Firefighters Education and Training Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to providing the necessary equipment and training programs to teach emergency responders, railroad personnel and government officials on how to deal with railroad emergencies. Learn more at thesafetytrain.org.