11 January 2006
Preparing for a Spill Point
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Off the tracks: In an incident in March 2001, a fire on
railway tracks near Glen Echo resulted in the derailment of three CPR locomotives and 10 grain
cars.
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Salmon Arm - Is Salmon Arm prepared to handle a train derailment and the damage that could
result?
This is a question the Salmon Arm Chamber of Commerce is currently exploring. The query, according to chamber general manager Laurie
Kerr, comes in response to the frequency of derailments occurring on CN Rail's BC Rail lines this year, including one incident in
August 2005 where a tank car loaded with caustic soda plunged into the Cheakamus River near Squamish, killing large numbers of fish.
While the lines running through Salmon Arm belong to Canadian Pacific Railway, Kerr doesn't dismiss the possibility of a similar
incident occurring on the Shuswap. "It would have a tremendous impact environmentally and economically, and this is something we
have certainly thought a great deal about," said Kerr. "It's time to stand up and let both the Ministry of Transportation
and the province of B.C. know... that we do have concerns."
Those concerns are first being taken up with local governments. Though the City of Salmon Arm does not have an emergency plan, the
Columbia Shuswap Regional District does under the Shuswap Emergency Management Program. The program has an emergency plan for a
wide-array of possibilities, including derailments. Kerr has been reviewing this plan to determine the adequacy of its
response to train derailments. "We want to ensure the plan is adequate to deal with such an issue," said Kerr.
So far the SEMP plan has been sufficient, replied CSRD emergency co-ordinator Tracy Wynnyk. She cited a March 2001 incident
where a fire on tracks near Glen Echo resulted in the derailment of three CPR locomotives and 10 grain cars. Among the damage, 2,000
litres of diesel spilled onto the beach. As per its plan, SEMP's emergency response team quickly co-ordinated a response
with all involved government agencies, CP Rail, and local residences. "We worked with CP to assure public safety issues were
looked at," said Wynnyk. "We made sure that water tests were done, and they were done for two weeks repeatedly to make sure
they were clear. In the interim CP provided local residents with bottled water."
Regarding the recent string of incidents involving CN, Wynnyk has been in contact with CP, and she is comfortable with the response
she received. "Like any good business, they were watching what was happening with CN and monitoring what was happening, how things
were happening, the concerns they were faced with," said Wynnyk. "I felt fairly confident what they were learning from those
incidents would go towards preventive measures within their own organization."
Uncomfortable with CN, Federal Transport Minister Jean C. Lapierre issued a notice and order to CN 4 Nov 2005 to limit
the length of its trains operating between Squamish and Clinton, while Transport Canada did an inspection and safety review of CN to
determine the company's compliance with the Railway Safety Act.
Kerr said she's encouraged by the regional district's emergency management planning team as a business representative. From her findings
and involvement, she and the local chamber may make recommendations to other B.C. chambers to become similarly involved. "We have
to be ready," said Kerr. "Our community would have to pull together very quickly. When you think about it it's like a forest
fire. You have to be proactive, not reactive."
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