Rick Atterberry, the media communications specialist for University of Illinois' Henderson County extension, read off a derailment scenario to the group complete with weather information and scene-setting imagery.
"The first question is, who is in charge?" Atterberry said.
The exercise didn't pull any trains off the tracks or cause any mock catastrophes. Emergency responders stood in position and talked through the motions, familiarizing themselves with the best things to do. Henderson County Health's Diana Seitz said the training is more akin to what's called a tabletop exercise, but they did it outside.
"They'll go through what you would do next if there was an explosion or a chemical leak on the track," Seitz said.
Carrie McKillip, the community development educator for the University of Illinois extension in Henderson county, said the exercise is part of ongoing efforts to prepare the area for any type of disaster. In May, they did a similar training for a hypothetical tornado.
"There's a wide array of disasters that could happen and we need to be prepared for all of them," McKillip said.
Most trains have documentation onboard of its contents, but if that somehow is inaccessible in a derailment event, the situation gets increasingly dangerous. The first situation the crew discussed involved a crude oil spill.
Many of the early decisions and immediate responsibilities would fall with the fire department — people such as Assistant Chief Brad Flatt.
"We may not put water on anything at all until we know what chemicals are on board," Flatt said.
The police would be closely involved as well. "Accidents do happen," Police Chief Arbry Vancil said.
"I think there are 50 to 70 trains a day that roll through town," Vancil said. "We need to be prepared for something to happen."
Des Moines County Emergency Management Coordinator Gina Hardin was happy to know Henderson County was doing the exercise.
"That's proactive and positive," Hardin said. "Glad to hear they're being prepared."
Some 43,274 rail tank cars of hazardous materials moved through Des Moines County last year, according to Hardin. Most carried flammable liquids. A 2016 Iowa Department of Transportation study estimated 14,700 people would be affected in the event of a train derailment in Des Moines County.
Atterberry read off details on the mock event as a train rolled on the track behind him.
"I'm going to be inventing some things for the scenario," he said, pausing to let the train blare its whistle. "So that we go through as many possible situations as we can."
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