Federal, state, and local governments have become acutely aware of the risks associated with rail transport of hazardous materials (hazmat). In 2015, railroads carried about 2.35 million carloads of hazmat across America. Derailments of these trains are rare, but the few that have occurred are catastrophic. Governments also understand that controlling the consequences of a railroad hazmat spill depends to a large extent on first response by local emergency services (police, emergency medical technicians, and firefighters). Moreover, the quality of that response hinges on the information about the shipment responders obtain from the train itself.
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