Emergency Management Team Explains Train Derailment Plan To St. Cloud City Council

ST. CLOUD - What would happen if a train carrying crude oil from the Bakken Oil Fields derailed in the St. Cloud metro area? The St. Cloud city council got a briefing on the emergency management plan dealing with this specific potential disaster this (Monday) evening, during their work study session.

Fire Chief Dean Wrobble says the main immediate goal would be to get residents out of the affected area as soon as possible.

Stearns County Emergency Management Director Erin Hausauer says they would contact you using their Everbridge Notification System, which is a reverse 9-1-1.

When we choose the area that we want to notify that there's a problem, we select that area on a map, and we are able to call the landlines and any cell phone that is in that immediate area to tell them that we need you, for example, to evacuate to Hallenbeck at St. Cloud State University. There our public safety officials and city officials will provide additional information on what's happening, and what you can expect moving forward.

Hausauer says United Way's 2-1-1 system, their various social media sites, as well as local media would also be used to keep residents informed on what's happening.

Wrobbel says it would be very difficult to fight the actual fire on a burning oil train car. He's they they would try to prevent the fire from spreading to other cars, as well as the surrounding area, and would have to let the fire furn itself out.

State officials, as well as BNSF, would also respond to assist with the local effort.

Chief Wrobbel says as many as 80 trains a day travel through the St. Cloud metro area on the BNSF rail line.