Moose Jaw Saskatchewan - The train derailment and resulting explosion in Lake Megantic that killed 47 people "changed everything" in the Canadian railway industry, says Canadian Pacific's director of government affairs.
 
Standing outside the Moose Jaw fire station on Lilloeet Street, Mike LoVecchio talked about the Quebec train derailment that destroyed much of the city's downtown.
 
"It changed the entire railway industry. It changed everything," he said.
 
Since the derailment two years ago, CP's focus on safety has increased.
 
On Friday, 50 first responders from Moose Jaw and Regina participated in Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response (TRANSCAER) training after the Moose Jaw Fire Department requested the service.
 
"The TRANSCAER mandate is to get out and train first responders about the products that are in the railway cars, trucks, and the means of containment," said Curtis Myson, transportation of dangerous goods specialist for the Railway Association of Canada (RAC).
 
"Under Canadian and American law we have the Common Carrier Obligation. We are required to move all products regardless of what they are. We are spared the decision of, Should we or shouldn't we. So it's important for first responders to know what's coming in and how to handle it during an emergency."
 
Although, TRANSCAER has increased in popularity in recent years, the training predates Lake Megantic.
 
The initiative started in 1985 by the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC), which still runs it today along with the RAC.
 
Today it's in 62 countries worldwide helping first responders understand the dangerous goods coming through their communities.
 
"You have all the parts of the chemical supply chain training directly with first responders so that when there's an incident there's some level of familiarity and some level of confidence and knowledge," said LoVecchio.
 
"The result is a much safer response and that's a responsibility and concern that we all have. And they'll be in a better position to respond to incidents as a result."
 
The training exercises, similar to the ones conducted on Friday, have had an effect on safety.
 
"On an annual basis, 2014 was our best performance in corporate history," said LoVecchio.
 
However, it's not just CP that is focusing on increasing safety, but so are municipalities across Canada.
 
Every day dangerous goods are transported through Canadian cities, towns, and rural areas.
 
With the derailment in Lake Megantic came a surge of first responders across the nation inquiring about additional training, says LoVecchio.
 
Training lasted two days at the Lilloet fire station.
 
First responders included firemen, police, EMS, municipal officials, and volunteer firefighters from Moose Jaw, Regina, and their surrounding areas.

Mickey Djuric.

       

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