Bucks County Community College will debut a railroad safety training program for emergency responders in the Philadelphia region and across the East Coast in 2026, writes Emily Neil for the WHYY.
The college is partnering with the county, Rohm and Haas, and Consolidated Rail Corp. to offer a program providing firefighters, EMTs, police officers, and other first responders with hands-on simulations and hazardous materials training that may prove invaluable for a train derailment.
“It is a model example of how industry and education and county government can work together for the betterment of the citizens,” said Tracy Timby, vice president for workforce and strategic partnerships at Bucks County Community College.
An average of 1,000 train derailments occur each year in the United States.
“You only need one in your area to create devastation,” said Timby. “So it’s being prepared for the emergency that we don’t see coming, necessarily.”
For the program, Conrail will build a railroad track extension behind BCCC’s Lower Bucks Public Safety Training Center, while Rohm and Haas will donate two railroad cars. Construction is expected to begin in the fall, with classes to follow in early 2026.
Read more about the program in the WHYY.
