Emergency officials who rushed to the scene of a toxic Norfolk Southern Corp. train derailment last month may not have had access to crucial information about which hazardous materials the train was carrying, the Department of Transportation said in a safety advisory Friday.
Rescue workers and others responding to the 38-car derailment in East Palestine may not have had a mobile app used by first responders to quickly obtain information about the chemicals the train was carrying, the Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said.
“Emergency responders’ timely access to accurate train-consist information is crucial to understanding hazards present in a derailment and other incidents involving a train transporting hazmat,” according to the advisory, which asked railroads to review emergency responders’ access to the app, known as AskRail.
