Burlington officials will get disaster training
Burlington Mayor Jeannie Hefty often wonders what would happen if a train derailed in the heart of Burlington, spilling hazardous materials and forcing the evacuation of the downtown area.
For that reason, the mayor and five other city officials are joining in a Racine County initiative and traveling next week to the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Md., for a weeklong session on setting up emergency government to handle just that sort of emergency.
“My biggest fear is a train derailment,” Hefty said. “So I’m excited that we’ll get this set up and in place for the future.
“This will give us the training we need to assess and know how to manage it.”
Hefty will be accompanied by Fire Chief Alan Babe, Police Chief Mark Anderson, Bruce Oldenburg of the Burlington Area Rescue Squad, Public Works Director James Bergles and Treasurer Steve DeQuaker.
Hefty, who attended a similar training session during her first go-round as mayor in the 1990s, said the course will be effective in helping the city prepare a plan to deal with emergencies.
That plan will help create contingencies that will be implemented as needed during a disaster.
Using the downtown train derailment as an example, Hefty said the city has developed plans to relocate the emergency government center from the police station – which is the heart of downtown – to the Department of Public Works facility on South Pine Street.
The training offered by the Emergency Management Institute is structured to meet the needs of Racine County emergency government with an emphasis on separate organizations working together in emergencies to save lives and protect property.
Hefty said the opportunity for this federal training was offered through Racine County and the city will be reimbursed for the costs.
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