TRANSCAER®

The Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response (TRANSCAER) initiative is a voluntary program led by the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC) and the Railway Association of Canada (RAC) in partnership with chemical manufacturers, oil producers, railways, and trucking and distribution companies from coast to coast.

For decades, the goal of the TRANSCAER® initiative has been to work with municipal officials, first responders, and community stakeholders along transportation routes to ensure awareness of the products being transported and readiness to respond to potential incidents.

Through TRANSCAER, Canada’s railways provide free training to firefighters, police and emergency medical personnel on how to handle a transportation incident involving dangerous goods. An innovative “classroom on wheels”―the TRANSCAER Safety Train (also known as the CCPX 911)―is used to teach emergency responders about the different features of railway tank cars. Railways also assist communities in developing and evaluating their emergency response plans by working through scenarios, assessing available equipment and identifying ways to quickly communicate with residents.

RAC’s participation in TRANSCAER® reflects the railway industry’s commitment to the safe transportation of dangerous goods through ongoing training and collaboration with emergency responders and industry personnel across Canada. Transporting dangerous goods has its risks, but Canada’s railways believe that by working together and planning ahead we can do it safely.

For more information, you can download the RAC Railway Emergency Response Awareness Guide.