WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rangeley Fire Chief Tim Pellerin is expected to testify at a Congressional hearing on rail safety Wednesday.
Pellerin was among a team of more than three dozen volunteer Franklin County firefighters who were first to respond to the rail disaster in Lac-Mégantic on July 6, 2013. A runaway train carrying crude oil derailed in Lac-Mégantic’s downtown and caused massive explosions and fire that leveled 30 buildings in the lakeside town about 20 miles north of the U.S. border at Coburn Gore in northern Franklin County. Officials said 47 people were killed in the disaster.
According to Sen. Susan Collins office, Pellerin is set to testify at 9:45 a.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building where he will discuss the response, the challenges faced and the lessons learned following the disaster.
The U.S. Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, of which Sen. Collins is a ranking member, is conducting the hearing to examine how to keep the railways in the U.S. safe for passengers and communities, according to a press release.
Other witnesses include Anthony Foxx, secretary of the Department of Transportation; Deborah Hersman, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board; and Barb Graff, director of the Office of Emergency Management in Seattle.
The hearing will be available via webcast here.
The first step might be to make absolute sure that ALL lights at the RR crossing WORK>
One evening last winter we were traveling back from the coast and came upon some RR lights flashing red, for over twenty minutes my husband was telling me it’s SAFE, just GO. I decided to call 911 and inform them about the signal. The woman said that she was aware of it and to “just go.”
I said, “Really? If you know, then why isn’t there someone here fixing it and more importantly why isn’t there an officer here to direct folks as to what to do?”
Then last week around 11:30 p.m., I swore that I heard the train as I was driving over the bridge from Livermore to Livermore Falls. My husband said, “No, that’s just the wind.”
I said, “No doubt you are right because I think the train usually passes before 11:30. We must’ve missed it.”
It turned out, I was right. As we were crossing the tracks, my husband yells, “The train’s coming!”
I proceed to STOP and LOOK, then I froze. It was only for two seconds, the train’s horn was blaring, our hearts were pounding then I floored it.
What the heck!!