Train Derailment Drill Tests Crisis Response

By Lance Cpl. Emmanuel Ramos
Quantico Sentry

QUANTICO, Va.– Firefighters rushed to contain toxic material from spreading, as medical technicians tended to those who had been exposed to hazardous material.

This was the scene as Marine Corps Base Quantico’s emergency personnel conducted a full-scale emergency management exercise to test the base’s response procedures to a simulated train derailment with hazardous material release today along Zelin Road and portions of Henderson Road.

“It’s a yearly exercise the base does to make sure we’re prepared for anything major,” said Capt. Peter Colby the exercise coordinator with Mission Assurance Branch. “It also gives us a chance to work with the local agencies, which is always good practice.”

“[A train derailment] is something you always want to prepare for,” said Craig Kuhn, trainmaster at CSX Corporation. “We want to get in here quick and get the job done so there is minimal impact to the surrounding communities.”

Regional Hazardous Material Team, out of Fredericksburg, quickly responded with a team to stop simulated toxic gas and liquids from seeping out of the railcar.

To help increase the reality of the exercise, role players simulated symptoms of contamination, with some being treated on scene by first responders from Quantico Fire Department, while others with more severe injuries were taken to the Naval Health Clinic Quantico by ambulance to be treated.

“We wanted to test the clinics’ ability to treat someone who has been contaminated,” Colby said.

Once the role players simulating injuries showed up at the clinic, they were stopped before they could enter to prevent the contamination from spreading to other patients. They were taken to a designated area on the side of the clinic where the simulated injuries could be cleansed and treated properly.

Also on location to help support the emergency response teams was Air Rescue and Fire Fighting from Marine Corps Air Facility.

“It was a great experience getting to know and work with some of these other guys from other counties,” said Lance Cpl. Joseph Jones, a responder with ARFF. “It a good feeling knowing that, if there’s ever something that we can’t handle, we can always call on these guys for back up.”

Emergency responders weren’t the only ones getting training during the basewide exercise. Occupants in surrounding buildings also tested their shelter-in-place procedures. Marines with Combat Camera Management, near the Provost Marshal’s Office, took extra precautions to shelter against the simulated toxins in the air.

“We kept our doors closed and I made sure none of my Marines left the building,” said Cpl. Geraldo Muro, supply chief.

“The exercise went great,” Colby said. “We had a lot of support from emergency responders from Stafford, Prince William and Fredericksburg counties, as well as with CSX Corporation to ensure proper procedures were followed.”