First responders from all over Kootenai County were running through simulated exercises at BNSF's Hauser fueling facility in Rathdrum, Idaho on Tuesday afternoon, learning how to respond to a call for a locomotive disaster.
For many of the crews, this was the first time they had hands-on training onboard a train.
"There are many complexities to working on a railroad," said BNSF spokesman Courtney Wallace. "Its knowing how you don't want to use water on an electrical fire, or on a diesel fire, its understanding when to use different types of foams, when to use different chemical responses."
The main thing emergency response crews learned during Tuesday's training was that trains have very limited room for working.