CONNEAUT, Ohio — It was one year ago today that the NTSB released its final report on the Norfolk Southern train derailment and toxic chemical burn in East Palestine.
On this day, and about a hundred miles away, fire crews boarded the rail company’s safety train, a traveling classroom launched in 2015 aimed at giving first responders hands-on experience.
Each year, it moves across Norfolk Southern’s 22-state system, targeting 5,000 first responders during 16 to 18 stops.
Conneaut, a city with three main rail lines, was the safety train’s seventh stop in its 2025 tour.
“The boxcar is the mobile classroom,” said Norfolk Southern Hazmat Manager Jon Rettig.
Rettig is one of the instructors who work with students in the classroom and on the flat cars and tankers.
He shares with them how to reach the railroad when there’s an emergency and size up the response.
‘They can put a face with who they expect is coming. It’s a large piece of equipment, it's a nonforgiving piece of equipment, and everything comes back to learning how to safely respond to those types of incidents involving that type of equipment,” Rettig said.
In February 2023, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine. Days later, a controlled toxic chemical burn sent a dark plume over the village.
The fire chief said he had 13 minutes to make that decision.
East Palestine Fire Chief discusses train disaster one-on-one.
Last June, the final NTSB report said a trackside detector failed to accurately detect an overheated rail car bearing, and firefighters did not get the details of what was on the train for more than an hour after the derailment.
NTSB Chair discusses final report on East Palestine train derailment.
News 5 Investigators asked Rettig if Norfolk Southern failed to give information to first responders.
"I’m not going to answer that one, I'm going to stay on the training because that’s why we’re here today,” Rettig said.
News 5 was not allowed inside the mobile classroom and was told not to share what instructors discussed with students during hands-on training on the flat car. Norfolk Southern cited proprietary information.
Norfolk Southern says that often, this is the first time first responders get to work on a train and familiarize themselves with how they operate.
It was for Steve Sanford, a more than 30-year veteran with Conneaut Fire.
"For the training piece of it this is the first time experience for me,” Sanford said.
Sanford is the assistant fire chief and a hazmat tech. He says he learned something new during Tuesday’s training session.
“The way the valving systems work and stuff like that was a little more information than what we get,” Sanford said.
Conneaut fire did not go to East Palestine, but the disaster is always top of mind for Sanford with three rail lines in the city.
“Just hopefully everything is going safe for them and they don’t need us,” Sanford said.
And if they do?
“Then this right here is the type of stuff that helps prepare us for those types of incidents,” Sanford said.
Norfolk Southern says the safety train will make its way to the Macedonia area in a couple of weeks and then on to Kentucky.
