Recommended Prerequisites:

• Technician Level
• IS-100.C
• IS-200.B
• IS-700.B

Course Objectives – The TCS course is specifically designed as intensive hazardous materials emergency response training for the specialist level and will bring the hazardous materials technician trained to the highest recognized level of training identified by OSHA, NFPA, and the EPA with a focus on freight rail incidents potentially involving WMDs, including flammable/combustible liquids incidents. Participants will receive comprehensive training beyond that of traditional “Hazardous Materials Technician Level,” and their instruction will include, but is not limited to, railroad nomenclature, railcar designs, specialty features unique to the railroad, product transfer, containment methods, plugging and patching to including use of special containment devices and flaring operations. The course covers rail vehicle threat and vulnerability assessments, including actions and responses to any toxic or industrial hazardous materials release; to include flammable/combustible liquid rail transportation emergencies and WMD attacks on railcars.

Participants will also be trained in procedures for the location, use, and responsibility for proper shipping documentation to determine hazardous materials and to identify types of rolling stock and their associated hazards in a train. Participants will learn to identify the characteristics, features, hazards, and markings of various hazardous material tank cars; demonstrate the methods for controlling any toxic or industrial hazardous material releases including flammable/combustible liquids; as well as identify the construction, valves, and safety devices on tank cars and demonstrating their proper operation. After successful conclusion of this course, participants will be able to respond safely to railroad emergencies through prioritizing their actions, utilizing NIMS, working within the NRF, and bringing any intentional or accidental freight rail emergency to a successful mitigation.

Target Audience – Participants shall be hazardous materials emergency responders representing federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, public, and private sector organizations that respond to emergencies potentially involving hazardous materials in a railroad environment. Their roles in control and mitigation will require the highest level of training for effective offensive measures for HazMat/WMD incidents. A growing number of emergency responders in states along the U.S. southern border speak Spanish as either their primary or secondary language. According to the Texas Center for Policy Studies,i since the passing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993, the amount of hazardous materials and hazardous waste shipments across the Mexican border has increased. According to a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Border Crossing Annual Data, border crossing of fully loaded truck containers increased 212% from calendar year 2000 (1,582,995) to the end of calendar year 2017 (3,356,341). Fully loaded rail containers increased 250% from calendar year 2000 (228,700) to the end of calendar year 2017 (573,811). These numbers are for the Texas / Mexico border only, and do not include the borders of Arizona, California, and New Mexico.

This expansion in traffic and trade increases the probability for an accidental release of hazardous materials, hazardous waste, and flammable/combustible materials, and increases need for first responders along our southern U.S. bordered states to speak and understand

Spanish in emergency situations. The increased likelihood of volunteer agencies and mutual aid interactions with Spanish speaking transportation specialists compounds the need for this unique and diverse training.