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| Train derailment still worrisome for many |
| September 16, 2009 |
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A Canadian Pacific train derailed in Oshawa on June 5. |
By Lindsey Cole The Oshawa Express What can Oshawa do better in case of an emergency? This was the question Oshawa resident Calvin Pereira wanted answered. He addressed the Strategic Initiatives Committee recently, in the hopes of getting his message across that some things weren’t handled properly during the June 5, 2009 accident when a Canadian Pacific (CP) train carrying 111 cars derailed, causing 27 cars to fly off the tracks. “We didn’t know where to go,” he says. Because of the derailment, a massive evacuation effort ensued as crews initially assessed if there were any flammable or dangerous chemicals on board. The derailment happened in a residential area in Oshawa, near the Park Road Bridge, along the CP corridor.“I think there should have been a 1-800 number that should have been in place immediately. I don’t think there was a lot of co-ordination in this,” he says, adding there wasn’t a phone number up until an hour after the event and some members of the media were reporting false information. And after listening to several residents speak about the derailment a couple of weeks after it happened, city staff have made some changes to its emergency plan, says City Manager Bob Duignan.“That was a very significant incident for Oshawa. We’ve made improvements,” he says, adding now Service Oshawa will be handling the phone number and phone calls in case of an emergency to better deal with the situation. “We have strengthened our emergency plan. There are a number of things we learned,” he says. In an emergency similar to this, Oshawa Fire Services has supremacy and will look after the situation over police, he says, which was a misconception during the derailment. There will also be a communications officer on site during an emergency to filter out the real facts from speculation, he adds. This will allow the media to report the facts at all times so it can get to the people as quickly as possible. |
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©2008 Dowellman Publishing Corp, All Rights Reserved
©2008 Dowellman Publishing Corp, All Rights Reserved
