Class I Briefs: NS, CPKC, UP

“When a rail incident occurs, seconds count,” NS Vice President Safety John Fleps said. “Through our partnership with RapidSOS, 911 call centers and first responder agencies throughout our 22-state network will have faster access to the information they need to safeguard their response, save lives and protect the communities in which we operate.” (NS Photograph)

Norfolk Southern (NS) and RapidSOS debut their rail safety platform for first responders. Also, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) selects Rob Cikor as its Railroader of the Year; and Union Pacific’s (UP) Kenny Rocker joins the National Association of Manufacturers’ Board of Directors.

NS

Following their partnership announcement last fall, Norfolk Southern (NS) and RapidSOS on Feb. 29 unveiled a rail safety platform to provide critical information to first responders in the event of an incident. The system, which is free to public safety agencies across the U.S., “provides first responders quick and easy access to cargo and hazardous material information, enables mutual aid requests, and provides ongoing training,” according to the companies, which said that it builds on similar industry-available programs and “evolves communication in a way that better integrates first responders, the way they work and how they communicate.”

According NS and RapidSOS, one of the key features of their collaborative effort is the ability to provide real-time data and situational awareness to emergency response teams. In the event of a rail emergency, NS will initiate a digital emergency alert through RapidSOS, digitally transmitting critical information, the location of the incident, and what the train is carrying to first responders “empowering a safe, swift, and more informed response during a rail emergency,” they reported. The data also “highlights any hazardous material the train may be carrying at the top, provides safe handling and emergency response guides for those materials, [and] is easily shared via text or email from 911 to field responders and any mutual aid partners,” according to the companies.

NS and RapidSOS added that they conduct “thousands of training hours annually, teaching emergency communications centers, firefighters, hazmat crews, law enforcement and emergency medical services to respond to emergencies.”

“Norfolk Southern is committed to being an industry leader in safety,” NS Vice President of Safety John Fleps said. “When a rail incident occurs, seconds count. Through our partnership with RapidSOS, 911 call centers and first responder agencies throughout our 22-state network will have faster access to the information they need to safeguard their response, save lives, and protect the communities in which we operate.”

“Our partnership with Norfolk Southern will provide first responder agencies with contextual data and information to respond in the rare event of a train emergency,” said Karin Marquez, Chief Public Safety Brand Officer at RapidSOS.

“Prior to this partnership, telecommunicators had to manually search online databases and verbally relay critical information to field responders during rail incidents,” said Brian Fontes, CEO of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA). “9-1-1 needs innovative solutions like this that share life-saving information digitally, quickly, and intuitively.”

CPKC

CPKC’s Rob Cikor has been recognized as Railroader of the Year by the Canadian Class I, which celebrated the 37-year railcar mechanic with a special video posted on social media (watch above).

“Railroader of the Year is the most significant recognition that you can get in this organization,” CPKC Vice President Mechanical-Car Brad Robertson said in the video. “The types of people who win these awards really embody all of our foundations at work or away from work.”

Cikor, who works the midnight shift, has a “spotless track record” and is one of the “great” railroaders, who find a balance between work life and personal life, Robertson said. According to CPKC, Cikor is a “family man” in addition to being a mentor and leader.

“Every apprentice who comes through here, we ensure that they get assigned to Rob Cikor at some point in the hopes that they get a little bit of that ‘secret sauce’ that Rob’s got,” Aaron Rooks, CPKC Director Mechanical-Car, B.C., said in the video. “Rob’s a good leader, he’s a good mentor, he’s patient.”

“You can see how his behaviors, his influence has become ingrained in the folks he’s had a chance to work with over the years,” noted Robertson, who was named a Railway Age “Fast Tracker” in 2020.

Congratulations, Rob Cikor!

In related news, CPKC also celebrated its annual CEO Awards for Excellence.

UP

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) on Feb. 29 reported that Kenny Rocker, UP Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales, has been named to its Board of Directors, which help bolster the association’s policy advocacy, legal action, workforce solutions and operational excellence.

Founded in 1895, NAM is the largest industrial trade association in the United States. It is guided by its Board, which comprises leaders in every industrial sector. Approximately 90% of members are small and medium-sized businesses.

“I am honored to join the NAM Board and to support policies that will help ensure our industry’s continued growth and success,” Rocker said. “It’s important that lawmakers understand how policies affect the nearly 13 million people who earn their living in manufacturing. I look forward to sharing my story and the stories of manufacturers that are keeping our promises to invest in communities nationwide, create jobs and improve the quality of life for all Americans.”

“Kenny is committed to the success of our industry, and the NAM will be stronger thanks to his service on our Board of Directors,” NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons said. “Kenny will be a partner in the NAM’s efforts to advance a competitiveness agenda that amplifies manufacturers’ efforts to create well-paying jobs, grow our economy and improve the quality of life. In this consequential year and beyond, we will work with policymakers to push back against the regulatory onslaught, build on the 2017 tax reforms, secure additional reforms to our outdated permitting system, strengthen the manufacturing workforce and expand opportunities to sell our products around the world. I look forward to working together as advocates for manufacturing in the U.S. and to advance the values that have made America exceptional and our industry strong—free enterprise, competitiveness, individual liberty and equal opportunity.”