From Denver Channel 7 News: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/20622313/detail.html?taf=den Emergency Drill: Truck Collides With Train Carrying Nuclear Waste First Of Its Kind Exercise For Local Emergency Responders POSTED: 4:11 pm MDT August 29, 2009 UPDATED: 1:55 pm MDT September 1, 2009 DENVER -- Local, state and federal authorities gathered at the railroad tracks in Denver on Saturday to prepare for a train accident involving nuclear waste. The drill was a first of its kind in Colorado, a state that sees three to four shipments of naval spent nuclear fuel cross its borders every year. Officials acted out the scenario of a truck colliding with a nuclear fuel shipping container, injuring one person and knocking the train off the tracks. Two federal officers, who manned the train’s caboose, checked the truck driver and the cargo then triggered a chain of phone calls to about a dozen different agencies. “It’s bringing folks together to communicate effectively,” said Jeffrey Avery, a spokesperson for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. While treating injuries was the first order of business, checking the load was a close second. “In this case, once you get the nuclear spent fuel, it raises the level of awareness,” said Denver Fire Lieutenant Phil Champagne. The Navy said the nuclear shipments are extremely safe. The containers are nearly indestructible. They’re made of 350,000 pounds of stainless steel. Fourteen inch thick walls surround the radioactive material. “The container could be dropped off a bridge. It could be submerged in fire up to 1,400 degrees. It’s extremely difficult to damage those containers,” Champagne said. In addition, the level of radiation exposure is low. “If I were to walk over to one of the containers, and lean up against it for a couple of hours, I wouldn’t receive any more radiation exposure than I do when I go to the doctor for a routine chest x-ray,” said Avery. Since 1957, the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program has made more than 775 shipments of naval spent fuel to the Idaho National Laboratory. There have never been any accidents involving the shipments. In Saturday’s exercise, there were no fuel leaks and no evacuations were ordered. However, local officials say they’re prepared now, just in case. “It was an overwhelming success. We’re very fortunate to be able to practice with those partners. Just like in sports, you play the way you practice and practice is critical,” Champagne said. Participants in the exercise also included the Colorado State Patrol, Denver Police Department, Denver Department of Environmental Health, Denver Sheriff’s Department, Denver Paramedic Division, Union Pacific Railroad, and Denver Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
