“After every event, we take away lessons that we learned,” she said. “But we also take away positives. We talk about how we make things better going down the road.”
On March 4, 2023 at around 4:45 p.m., a total of 28 out of 212 train cars came off the tracks near Clark County Fairgrounds on State Route 41. It was the second known train derailment to happen in Clark County in a year’s span and came nearly a month after the devastating derailment in East Palestine.
The fact that the East Palestine incident across the state was so fresh in the minds of Clark County residents was a major consideration of county leadership and others responding to the scene. Mental health professionals were incorporated into press conferences, and the county released the manifest of what train cars contained.
Although no injuries were reported in the Springfield incident, property damage occurred to properties butting up against the tracks. The derailment also downed a power line, which caused about 47 homes to lose power. First responders initially ordered residents within a 1,000-foot radius to shelter in place — this included four homes and a few commercial locations.
Clements-Pitstick said intensive planning and training equipped first responders to respond to the derailment. In fact, local first responders had just trained for a scenario where a train derailed as a part of an exercise.
The Clark County EMA director said local partnerships were crucial for the derailment response. The Springfield Twp. Fire Division, the Springfield Fire/Rescue Division, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, the Springfield Police Division, Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Ohio EPA, the Ohio Department of Public Safety, ODOT, Ohio Edison and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency responded to the scene.
“We are very grateful for those partnerships,” she said. “We have very limited authority, but if we can continue with those collaborations, we can bring those people to the table. They all have a role in the community.”
The rail cars involved were not carrying hazardous materials, but more than 10% of the cars on the train were carrying flammable chemicals and corrosive acids.
Three cars carrying residual amounts of hazardous materials once contained two different kinds of acids and pentanes, Cedarville University chemistry professor Mark McClain said after the 2023 derailment. Pentanes are used to make packing pellets, construction adhesive and more. Pentanes can also be used as a fuel additive.
McClain said another four cars were carrying benzene, which is used to make different kinds of nylon for clothing and containers, laundry detergent and dishwashing products, pesticides and plastics. Nine cars carried liquid petroleum gas, used in cooking and heating. Others contained alcohols.
Norfolk Southern estimated damages to equipment, the track and more to be about $2.6 million, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report.
Clements-Pitstick said her agency has been reimbursed by the rail company.
Intensive pre-planning, and having agencies regularly meet and share their own plans assists in crafting the most effective response, Clements-Pitstick said. Tools like AskRail, which alerts first responders to rail incidents, and Rapid SOS, which points to incidents involving Norfolk Southern trains, also assist people in emergencies.
“East Palestine was a tragic, tragic event,” said Clements-Pitstick. “And people there are still recovering from that. But this goes to show that every disaster, every crisis is different. They’re not all the same. The responses aren’t the same.”
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