Richmond and Henrico to Partner with Amtrak for Emergency Response Training

The City’s Office of Emergency Management, the City’s Fire Department along with Henrico County’s Division of Fire and Office of Emergency Management are partnering with Amtrak for a hands-on training that will demonstrate to first responders how to properly size-up and manage an incident involving Amtrak equipment. The two training sessions will take place at the Staples Mill Amtrak Station, 7519 Staples Mill Road, on Friday, November 7 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Media is invited to attend and watch the training for either session.

“Emergencies on the railway do not happen very often. However, it is important that we train with external partners, like Amtrak, to learn these incident-specific skills, so in the event that an emergency does occur, we are prepared to respond and assist those residents in need,” said Steven Pyle, Emergency Management Planner for the City of Richmond Office of Emergency Management.

Prior to the hands-on training on Friday, public safety personnel from both Richmond and Henrico will participate in 4-hour classroom sessions throughout the week of November 3rd that will cover topics to include railroad terminology and maps, past incident reviews, right-of-way safety, and passenger evacuation.

For more information, please contact Steven Pyle at (804) 646-5281.