El Paso, Juarez firefighters undergo joint training to deal with hazardous train derailments
EL PASO, Texas -- Firefighters from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border suited up and trained with a new tool from the toolbox, given to them as part of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2020 grant worth about $45,000.
The tool, a magna seal, is used to seal up chemical leaks on railroad cars.
According to the Union Pacific Railroad, last year there were 1.5 million rail cars that transported hazardous materials through the nation's railroad system and there is an average of five derailments containing hazardous materials a day in the U.S.
"It's not a question of if it's going to happen, it's a matter of when it's going to happen," Kevin Dieter, battalion chief for special operations for the El Paso Fire Department. "Here in the Borderland, everyone knows we do have a lot of rail cars that come through this are,a so it's just a matter of time and we want to be prepared."
Hot weather can expand metal and pop it up - causing a derailment. Stopping suddenly can also cause a derailment.
"It's a risk," Ciudad Juarez firefighter Cruz Alejandro Alvarez Varela said, "which is why they have these trainings that are bi-national because they don't know what these trains carry. It could be a leak or a spill of a material that could be dangerous to people."
This week marked the first time in years that Juarez firefighters have come across to El Paso for training, and it's something both the El Paso and Juarez departments are hoping to do a lot more of with their sister city firefighters.
