Texas Operation Lifesaver administered their popular Railroad Investigation and Safety Course (R.I.S.C) in Abilene, Texas late this August ahead of the Abilene Railroad Festival. The R.I.S.C. program was developed to assist in educating local law enforcement and first responders on how to safely and effectively navigate emergencies and other incidents involving the railroad. As a free program, law enforcement and first responders are able to sign-up through their departments and receive TCOLE credits. These can be earned through training and education programs that are recognized by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. Among those who helped conduct the program were Jessica Devorsky, Director of Texas Operation Lifesaver; Buck Russel, Manager of Public Safety at Union Pacific Railroad, and Dal Randle of Ironhorse Resources Inc.. Departments are able to choose between a one or two day course. The Abilene Police Department opted for the latter course which allows for onsite training. Among those who attended throughout the program were police officers, EMTs, bike officers on the first day, Sheriffs, State Troopers, motorcycle officers and Fire Marshals for the second day.
Programming began on Tuesday, August 27th at 10AM at the Elks Arts Center hosted by the Abilene Preservation League. Introductions were made followed by a pre-programming exam for the 12 in attendance. Each of the individuals named above presented on different subjects throughout the two hour presentation. Modules 1-4 include; Rail Safety 101, On-Scene Safety & Situational Awareness, Rail Resources & Initial Report Information and Rail incident Conclusion. After a post programming exam and a short break for lunch attendees met south of town for onsite training. Ironhorse Resources’ Southern Switching Company (SSC) provided their freshly painted GP38 for demonstrations. SSC’s General Manager, Louis Hardin, headed the tours alongside the Engineer and Brakeman. Attendees broke up into two groups for 15 minutes before swapping. The first group went up into the cab of the locomotive where Dal Randle showed and taught them all of the nuances of what to do when there is an emergency in the cab. Louis proceeded to walk the other group around the locomotive and show them the important details on the exterior. Programming was repeated on August 28th for a group of 35.
SSC owns and operates 8.5 miles of north and south trackage in Abilene, Texas including the only remaining portions of the old Wichita Valley Railroad. They interchange freight with Union Pacific Railroad on a weekly basis hauling everything from grain, pipe, windmill blades, scrap and more.
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