VIDEO: First responders in west Alabama are getting more training to keep you safe around railroad crossings.
Norfolk Southern offered a safety training class on Wednesday for Tuscaloosa police and firefighters.
A 600-foot rolling classroom with empty tankers was brought in for a hands-on approach about what type of emergency Tuscaloosa firefighters and police may deal with some day.
The whole idea is to give first responders the tools they need, an understanding of how to deal with a train emergency should that call come in. “In the last three years, the railcar business has increased, crude oil by rail has really increased. They’re trying to get production up and they’ll get oil in any way they can and the crude oil that comes by rail is a big part of it because we have two major lines that run through Tuscaloosa,” said Capt. Bryant Thompson with the Tuscaloosa Fire Department.