EJSR Lends Support to Emergency Response Training

A trio of Watco team members recently took time to help support safety training for Chicago-area firefighters and other emergency responders.

Jeremy Evans, Deandre Minniefield, and Richard Flowers are part of the Elwood Joliet & Southern Railroad, which operates near Crest Hill, Illinois. A representative from railroad contractor Hulcher Services contacted Evans, the railroad’s general manager, asking for help with a project “that was a bit out of the ordinary.” It turns out that the Hulcher rep needed help getting a decommissioned tank car from a scrapyard in Gary, Indiana, to a safety training center in Calumet City, Illinois. The car would be used by firefighters and emergency medical technicians for hazmat training.

The organization donating the car, Union Tank Car (UTLX), had arranged transportation through Hulcher, which put Watco’s Evans on a call with UTLX and the driver of the truck that would pull the heavy-duty trailer hauling the 60,000-lb. tank car. Evans served as an adviser on the call. One of his key questions was who would remove the railcar’s protruding safety appliances such as handrails and ladders for transport, to prevent damage and comply with highway restrictions. The driver told Evans, “We need as much off as you can get off of that car.” 

Evans determined that Minniefield and Flowers would be able to help. “We agreed that this would be a good opportunity to serve the public,” he said.

On Nov. 21, Flowers, a railcar supervisor, met up with Hulcher employees to provide guidance on where to make welding cuts on the tank car for disassembly of the appliances. He also helped oversee their
securement for travel as well as their reassembly after arrival at the training facility. Evans said he and Minniefield, a trainmaster, provided “an extra set of hands” that day. 

A 10-vehicle convoy including the tank car, wheel truck, and four cranes traveled from the scrap yard in Indiana to the Calumet City Public Safety Training Center in Illinois. The facility is used for area fire
department and police training, a citizen’s policy academy, and other community events. Among the trainees are firefighters from Chicago, the busiest freight rail hub in North America.

Calumet City Fire Chief Glenn Bachert said the project was a partnership with the Chicago Fire Department. “It was through their contract with UTLX that we were able to get the tank car.” He said the tank car would be helpful for “practical, hands-on experience.”