INDIANAPOLIS — High hazard flammable trains pass through Indiana all the time. The Indiana State Fire Marshal spoke with WISHTV if something similar to the train derailment in Ohio could happen here.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security defines a train as high hazard flammable only if it has 20 or more continuous cars with a Class 3 flammable liquid or if it has at least 35 of those cars on the whole train. If the train doesn’t meet those specific requirements, it doesn’t need to be reported to them.
The state Department of Homeland Security told WISHTV around 12 high hazard flammable trains pass through Indiana every week.
“If a train comes through your community, you can almost bet that some of those cars do have hazardous materials,” Fire Marshal Steve Jones said to WISH.
While he does say trains are still some of the safest ways for those materials to travel in the country, it’s best to be prepared for the worst.
“A level of education keeps the fear away. If you know what to do, what your plans need to be. Where the fear kicks in is you never thought about it before and now it’s happening,” said Jones.
If you live near train tracks, make a plan with your family if you need to quickly evacuate. “[Ask] what types of things you need to take with you,” Jones said, “Medications, clothes, those types of things to already have that plan of what you need to grab as you head out the door.”
