CSX Contributes Grant to Enhance Virginia Hazardous Materials Training Facility

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CSX Contributes Grant to Enhance Virginia Hazardous Materials Training Facility

Jacksonville, FL - March 19, 2015 - As CSX continues its commitment to first responder preparation, the company today presented a $25,000 grant to the Hazardous Materials/CBRNE Training Facility in York County, Va., to enhance training for Virginia's fire fighters and other responders.  

Grant funds will be used to purchase equipment to expand and improve the existing training facility's rail related hazardous materials capabilities including enhancing current and future railcar props; installing lighting and electrical connections to facilitate night training; expanding the classrooms to accommodate larger groups; and sustaining the facility with continued maintenance.

"An emergency response team's ability is significantly strengthened when there is an opportunity to train in real life scenarios and work in situations relevant to today's emergency response community," said Chris Sadler, Assistant Chief, York County Department of Fire and Life Safety.  "With this grant, the training facility can continue to provide state-of-the-art emergency response training for the Commonwealth's emergency responders."

The Hazardous Materials/CBRNE Training Facility provides hands-on training opportunities for first responders on how to handle hazardous materials, particularly in the area of rail hazardous materials incident response. Its operations are supported by a partnership between the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Virginia Association of Hazardous Materials Response Specialists, and York County Department of Fire and Life Safety. CSX previously donated to the facility in 2011. 

"CSX and first responders share a critical responsibility to protect Virginia's communities," said Romano De Simone, Director Hazardous Materials. "Safety is our first priority, and we work to create educational, hands-on opportunities that help our responding partners be well prepared to make the best, fact-based decisions in the event of a railroad incident."  

The grant is part of CSX's expanded safety training outreach to first responders and emergency personnel, which also includes the CSX Safety Train: Energy Preparedness Program that has trained more than 2,000 first responders from more than 350 organizations in 18 cities to date. CSX also launched the industry's first mobile application to share information about train and cargo information with first responders in the event of an incident. First responders interested in accessing the mobile application should contact 1-877-TELL-CSX.

About CSX

CSX, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a premier transportation company.  It provides rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services and solutions to customers across a broad array of markets, including energy, industrial, construction, agricultural, and consumer products.  For nearly 190 years, CSX has played a critical role in the nation's economic expansion and industrial development.  Its network connects every major metropolitan area in the eastern United States, where nearly two-thirds of the nation's population resides.  It also links more than 240 short-line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports with major population centers and farming towns alike.  More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at www.csx.com. Like us on Facebook (http://facebook.com/OfficialCSX) and follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/CSX).

Contact:

Kaitlyn Barrett   

kaitlyn_barrett@csx.com

904-359-1037