releases: https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=69cab099-86b4-4fd7-b06a-8b7d0a72bb2b
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
This data as json
| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=69cab099-86b4-4fd7-b06a-8b7d0a72bb2b | Heitkamp Chairs Senate Hearing to Examine Emergency Responder Readiness Featuring Casselton Fire Chief | 2014-03-25 | 2014 | 2014-03 | Democrat | House | ND | Heidi Heitkamp | H001069 | www.heitkamp.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today chaired a Senate hearing she called for to examine how we can better train our emergency responders for emerging threats and hazards. Heitkamp brought Casselton Fire Chief Tim McLean to the panel to testify on his teams experience responding to the December 30 train derailment and subsequent explosion. McLean shared with Heitkamp and her colleagues what he thinks needs to be done to better prepare our brave emergency responders. He highlighted the importance of U.S. Department of Homeland Security grants, which enabled the Casselton Fire Department to receive training and equipment that proved critical in responding to the recent accident. No matter what the disaster is whether it is responding to a train derailment or a natural disaster we need to make sure our first responders on the ground are trained and prepared to handle anything that may come their way, and that they have the equipment necessary to do their jobs effectively and efficiently, Heitkamp said at a Subcommittee on Emergency Management hearing. Chief McLeans insight provided helpful information for first responders across the country. His testimony today on his decades of emergency response experience was incredibly impactful. It was an honor to join Senator Heitkamp at the hearing and help other communities learn from our experiences in Casselton, said McLean. We were successful in our response to this entire incident because everyone did their jobs, stayed in their lanes, relied on their training, and got the job done and we did it well. But we couldnt have been successful without federal homeland security grant dollars. Without this financial commitment and support, we would not have had the training or the equipment to properly respond to this fire. The hearing examined the challenges posed to first responders by the transportation of hazardous materials.Given the dramatic increase in the transportation of a wide range of hazardous substances, the discussion highlighted the increased need for preparedness and training for first responders as well as the transparency needed to equip them with critical information necessary to effectively respond to such disasters. Since the Casselton derailment, Heitkamp has worked tirelessly to understand what happened, and push for improvements to rail safety. She has worked closely with the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, as well as other federal, state, and local officials, and BNSF Railroad. Earlier this month, Heitkamp helped bring together Senators, Federal government regulators, and energy and railroad industry leaders for a Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing to examine ways to improve rail transportation safety. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |