Many towns unprepared for derailments, hazmat spills that can trigger fires, evacuations

FIVE KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. About once every two months, a train derails and spills at least 1,000 gallons of toxic, flammable or corrosive chemicals in the U.S. Nearly half of those derailments resulted in evacuations; a quarter resulted in a fire or explosion since 2015. 

2. Many first responders, especially in small towns and rural areas, lack the necessary training and equipment to effectively respond to hazmat derailments. A fifth of all of fire departments do not have specialized hazmat teams, and volunteers often make up the majority of staffing in smaller departments.

3. There can be significant delays in providing crucial information to first responders about the hazardous materials involved in derailments. Despite new federal rules requiring immediate sharing of hazmat cargo details, enforcement is delayed until 2026. 

4. There is tension between the rail industry’s desire to reopen rail lines quickly and the need for thorough safety measures. This can lead to rushed decisions that first responders say can prioritize reopening over community safety.

5. Federal funding for hazmat training and equipment does not match the need. Many fire departments struggle to prioritize spending on hazmat preparedness due to limited resources, and potential cuts to federal support by the Trump administration could further strain their capabilities.

By Liam Bowman, Taylor Nichols, Mary Burke and Aline Behar Kado
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

A train derails and releases at least 1,000 gallons of hazardous chemicals in the U.S. about once every two months. Nearly half of those derailments resulted in evacuations; more than a quarter resulted in a fire or explosion since 2015, an analysis of federal derailment data showed.

And many communities along the rail lines aren’t prepared to keep people safe when it happens.

That’s the finding of an investigation by the University of Maryland’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism that reviewed hundreds of rail safety documents and reports and interviewed dozens of industry professionals and first responders.

The Howard Center also obtained unprecedented access to rail data collected by a network of AI-enhanced camera sensors, which allowed the investigation to track shipments of hazardous materials along 2,200 miles of rail lines owned by BNSF and Union Pacific between the U.S.-Canadian border to West Texas. 

That data, provided by a private company called RailState LLC, confirmed that over the last six months at least 130,000 rail cars displaying placards for hazardous materials moved along sections of the rail lines analyzed by the Howard Center. Those cars passed the homes of at least 2.5 million people living within a mile of the tracks, along with more than 1,000 schools and 80 hospitals, the analysis found.

“I think it’s fair to say that most communities are probably not aware of what chemicals are going up and down the railroads in their backyard, day in and day out,’” said Jamie Burgess, a hazmat training director at the International Association of Firefighters.

First responders often lack the information, training, equipment and detailed planning needed to safely respond in the immediate aftermath of a hazmat derailment. 

Small-town fire departments, typically staffed by volunteers, are particularly underprepared. Among departments serving fewer than 2,500 people, only 38% of firefighting staff who respond to hazmat calls have more than a basic level of training, a 2021 survey by the National Fire Protection Association found. 

Fewer than one in five fire departments nationwide have their own team of hazmat specialists, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

Confronted with a catastrophic hazmat derailment, local firefighters rely on a web of mutual support — from nearby departments, regional hazmat teams, state and federal officials, and railroad contractors — for the expertise and equipment they may lack. Yet those teams might be hours away, leaving firefighters to handle the unfolding crisis on their own. 

After a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in 2023, it took more than an hour for firefighters with specialized hazmat training to arrive at the scene. Meanwhile, the town’s volunteer firefighters tried spraying water over the burning railcars, but with little effect. The fire “became much larger than I personally have ever seen,” a deputy fire chief later told federal accident investigators. 

“It’s usually the first time that they’ve ever dealt with something like this, and they’re overwhelmed in the beginning,” said Paul Stancil, who recently left his job as a senior hazardous materials accident investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board. “That was a problem in East Palestine. It’s a problem in almost every site.”

The rail industry provides some hazmat training to first responders. In 2024, industry-funded training initiatives reached at least 80,000 responders, according to industry estimates. But this represents just a fraction of the estimated 1 million career and volunteer firefighters in the U.S, according to U.S. Fire Administration numbers. 

Glen Rudner, a former railroad hazmat officer who now runs training courses for firefighters, said not enough communities take advantage of the resources the railroads offer. 

“There is a constant effort to provide this,” Rudner said. “The rail industry is looking at our responses to these incidents as a partnership. Not, ‘it’s our responsibility.’” 

Jessica Kahanek, assistant vice president of communications for the Association of American Railroads, said rail is the safest way to transport hazardous materials over land, adding that U.S. railroads safely carried more than 2 million hazardous material shipments in 2024.  

The Howard Center analysis of Federal Railroad Administration and NTSB data found 57 derailments in the last 10 years that resulted in the release of at least 1,000 gallons of hazardous material. Twenty-six of those derailments resulted in evacuations, one caused a shelter-in-place order and 16 caused fires or an explosion. 

When such derailments occur, firefighters called to the scene often face a critical problem: Many don’t know what chemicals are on board the train and what the exposure risks might be. And federal regulators have delayed the requirement to immediately supply that information.   

The NTSB began urging railroads to speed information to first responders after a July 2005 head-on collision between Canadian National freight trains in Anding, Mississippi. The four crew members were killed and 15,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled and burned. The fire destroyed the onboard inventory of hazardous materials the train was carrying, and made it impossible for firefighters to get close enough to see for themselves what was on the train, the NTSB reported. 

It took hours before CN provided the information. Even then, it was out of date for one of the trains.

It took another 18 years — and three more derailments in which first responders got inaccurate or delayed hazmat information — before federal regulators acted. The new federal rule requires railroads to immediately share hazmat cargo details with first responders when a train derails. Although currently in effect, regulators will not enforce the requirements until June 2026 after railroads requested more time to update communications systems to be in compliance. 

In a letter to federal regulators this month, East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick criticized the delay and urged regulators to enforce a stricter timeline on railroads. 

“The 2023 East Palestine derailment in my village highlighted a critical lack of timely communication with public safety about hazardous materials information involved in rail emergencies,” Drabick wrote. Without strict enforcement by regulators, he added, “I am concerned that the derailment in my community could be repeated.” 

Meanwhile, firefighters can use AskRail, an app launched in 2014 by the rail industry, to see what trains are carrying. But not all fire departments have adopted it, and some emergency officials have questioned its effectiveness or accuracy.

Kahanek called AskRail a “trusted, reliable option for initiating a response to a rail emergency.” During a rail emergency, she said, “first responders should also be working to get the official (list of what’s on the train) from the train crew. AskRail serves as a backup – and often the first line of information’’ for that information.   

“WE WERE UNTRAINED… WE WERE ILL PREPARED’’

When small communities are unprepared for a hazmat spill, the consequences can be dire. 

In 2012, a derailment in Paulsboro, New Jersey, sent several tank cars carrying vinyl chloride — a highly toxic and flammable chemical — plunging into a creek. One of the tank cars broke open, spewing a cloud of toxic gas that engulfed the surrounding area. 

Local police and volunteer firefighters, initially confused about the chemical released, approached the wreck without breathing protection — even standing in the cloud. The initial evacuation area was too small, investigators later found, and many nearby residents spent hours in the exposure zone.

More than 700 residents and responders reported symptoms of chemical exposure. An in-person survey revealed at least 70 sought medical treatment following the incident, while a mailed survey showed people from at least 80 more households were treated.

A subsequent NTSB report found the poor emergency response contributed to the severity of the accident.  

The report also heavily criticized Conrail, the operator of the train, for failing to immediately provide hazmat cargo details to firefighters on the scene. Conrail officials declined an interview request.

“We’ve never experienced anything of this magnitude in my entire career,” said Chris Wachter, Paulsboro’s police chief at the time of the derailment. “We were untrained for it. We were ill prepared for it.”

Paulsboro fire officials declined to be interviewed for this story. Emergency officials for Gloucester County — which includes Paulsboro — also declined an interview but said in an emailed statement there has been “significant improvement” in the capabilities of the county’s Hazardous Materials Team and relationships with municipal first responder organizations. 

WHOSE INTEREST IS BEING SERVED

Emergency officials and railroad representatives stress safety is paramount in handling a train derailment. But railroads have an added interest in getting things done as quickly as possible, as a prolonged track closure can cost a rail company millions. 

Wachter recalled coming under intense pressure from railroad representatives, who wanted the track in Paulsboro open as soon as possible. “They were pushing and pushing and pushing to get that rail line open,” Wachter said. “You had cars still in the water and they wanted to open the line.”

Robert Hall, former director of the NTSB office investigating hazmat incidents, said that tension is typical. “The railroads are always wanting to get the rail line back open, and so they look to what’s the most expedient direction to get the rail line back open,” he said. “And that is not always the best answer for the community.”

The NTSB investigation into the East Palestine derailment found Norfolk Southern withheld key information from local emergency officials overseeing the response, leading to the controversial — and ultimately  “unnecessary’’— decision to burn off thousands of pounds of toxic vinyl chloride. Residents blame the burn, which created a massive plume of toxic smoke that spread across several states, for continuing health issues. 

Oxy Vinyls, the vinyl chloride manufacturer, told NTSB investigators the vent and burn was “a rushed and premature decision” by Norfolk Southern to get the rail line back open. 

Kahanek, the AAR spokesperson said, “While restoring service is important, it is never pursued at the expense of safety. A swift response must be a safe response, and the decision-making process reflects that. ‘’

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Vinyl chloride represents just a fraction of the hazardous chemicals that move regularly on the rails. A Howard Center analysis of RailState data found that, excluding petroleum and alcohol, the top hazardous chemicals moved by train include sulfuric acid, chlorine, hydrochloric acid and ammonia — all highly toxic, and potentially lethal in high concentrations.

RailState has installed its camera sensors, which sit on private land and photograph every passing train car, at more than 260 locations across the North American freight rail network.

The chemicals identified in the analysis of the company’s data are commonly used in manufacturing or agriculture. Vinyl chloride is a key ingredient in PVC plastic, used in construction and packaging materials. Chlorine is a widely used disinfectant and is used in water treatment plants across the U.S. Sulfuric acid and ammonia make fertilizer used on farms.

FEDERAL DOLLARS FOR PREPAREDNESS GETTING TIGHTER

Though the disasters in Paulsboro and East Palestine prompted calls for improved hazmat preparedness for firefighters, many departments don’t have the resources.   

With only so many dollars to go around, fire departments often have to prioritize more frequent emergencies. “You might go your whole career and never experience a train derailment,” said Burgess, the IAFF hazmat training director. “But when you do, a lot of times you’ve had very minimal training.”

Federal funding is a major source of training and equipment for fire departments, but it increasingly falls short of the demand. Money given out by grant programs has dramatically declined in recent years, even as costs have gone up for fire departments, said Sarah Wilson Handler, vice president for grants at Lexipol, a firm that provides consulting services to police and fire departments. 

Handler estimated less than 10% of applicants to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program receive the requested funds.  In fiscal year 2024, fire departments across the country requested nearly $4 billion in funding through the grant program, but the agency only made $291 million available. 

Port Huron, Michigan, can’t afford to skimp on emergency preparedness for toxic chemical spills. Located on the Canadian border, the city of 30,000 sits across the St. Clair River from what locals call “Chemical Valley,” where dozens of chemical plants and oil refineries are clustered in Sarnia, Ontario.

Many of these chemicals are exported to the U.S. According to the St. Clair County emergency operations plan, it’s the second-most highly trafficked border crossing in the country for hazardous materials. 

Over the last six months, RailState data shows an average of 450 tank cars with hazardous material placards passed each day through a mile-long tunnel that runs under the St. Clair River between the U.S. and Canada. A placard indicates the car is loaded with hazardous material or contains hazmat residue.

In 2019, a Canadian National train derailed inside that tunnel, spilling over 12,000 gallons of sulfuric acid. The Port Huron firefighters called to the scene had the training and equipment to respond to a toxic spill. The response counted on a web of support from local and state agencies, railroad hazmat specialists and Canadian authorities, all under the direction of the Environmental Protection Agency. 

But the future of that federal support — including the grant money the county hazmat team covering Port Huron relies on — is uncertain. 

President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the future of FEMA, and the federal disaster agency has seen severe cuts and staff departures in recent weeks.  

“Obviously, this administration has a different view and a different approach” to federal funding, said a spokesman for the IAFF, who requested to not be named. “We think every resource that we’re using that’s being provided from the federal government has value and is important and is filling a gap and providing a service that’s important.”

Port Huron Fire Chief Corey Nicholson said federal dollars ebb and flow, but he’s worried about the potential for funding cuts. When grants dry up, spending on hazmat gear and training gets harder.

“Do I spend my money on the single family dwelling fires that I know are going to happen that are high risk, high frequency? Or do I spend money on a bunch of equipment that I’ll probably never use?” Nicholson asked. “There’s so many mouths to feed and there’s only so much money to do it with.”

How you can learn more about local transportation of hazardous materials

Aline Behar Kado, Paul Kiefer, Alaysia Ezzard, Ijeoma Opara, Menna Ibrahim, Molecule Jongwilai, Marijke Friedman, Josephine Johnson, April Quevedo, Tiasia Saunders and Declan Bradley of the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism contributed reporting, graphics and data analysis for this story.