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Spike in oil train crashes prompts Ill. hazmat training

First responders prepare for possible explosions, pollution spills

Daily Herald

LISLE, Ill. — A continued spike in oil trains and recent high-profile explosions and pollution spills across the United States have suburban fire departments playing defense.

First-responders interviewed by the Daily Herald for this series of reports on railway hazardous materials releases said they train continually and have mutual aid agreements for worst-case scenarios. But all the forethought in the world could be trumped by issues beyond their control, authorities warn.

“If you had a major incident involving Bakken oil, it would tax several community resources, not just one community,” Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Keith Krestan said.

Read full story: Local fire chiefs worry about train hazmat incidents