TORONTO, Sept. 15, 2016 /CNW/ - Emergency Response Assistance Canada (ERAC), in conjunction with CN, today conducted a rail emergency exercise as part of ongoing ERAC responder training in the event of an incident involving a rail car carrying flammable liquids or gas.

ERAC Response Teams, Technical Advisors and Remedial Measures Advisors from across Ontario, participated in this full-scale hands-on exercise involving three simultaneous live-transfers of flammable product (LPG and light synthetic crude) from rail cars.

"Despite being extremely rare, rail incidents involving flammable liquids and gases can happen at any time and any place. If they do, Emergency Response Assistance Canada is capable of responding with highly-trained and experienced responders," said Spencer Buckland, ERAC President. "Activities like today's controlled transfer exercises provide our responders with critical experience to ensure they are ready to act when an incident occurs."

"CN is pleased to partner with ERAC, as we believe working with our first responders, contractors and communities enhances rail safety," said Danny Simpson, assistant vice president of safety and emergency response at CN. "We continuously work to improve CN's emergency preparedness through ongoing training with specialized emergency response contractors, shippers' emergency response teams, industry specialists and community partners. Today's ERAC program is part of our commitment to effective emergency response."

About Emergency Response Assistance Canada (ERAC):
Emergency Response Assistance Canada (ERAC) is a not-for-profit emergency preparedness and response organization. Experts in designing emergency response assistance plans (ERAPs), ERAC is instrumental in assisting hundreds of oil and gas and transportation organizations. From coast to coast ERAC provides highly trained and skilled responders, equipment and industry best practices for road or rail incidents involving flammable gases and liquids. ERAC is a subsidiary of the Canadian Propane Association (CPA).

About CN:
CN is a true backbone of the economy, transporting more than C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network of approximately 20,000 route-miles spanning Canada and mid-America. CN – Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries – serves the cities and ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information about CN, visit the Company's website at www.cn.ca.

SOURCE CN

Image with caption: "ERAC responders participate in a full-scale hands-on exercise involving three simultaneous live-transfers of flammable product (LPG and light synthetic crude) from rail cars at training exercise in conjunction with CN on Thursday, Sept. 15 in Brampton, Ontario. (CNW Group/CN)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160915_C3611_PHOTO_EN_774744.jpg

Image with caption: "ERAC responders participate in a full-scale hands-on exercise involving three simultaneous live-transfers of flammable product (LPG and light synthetic crude) from rail cars at training exercise in conjunction with CN on Thursday, Sept. 15 in Brampton, Ontario. (CNW Group/CN)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160915_C3611_PHOTO_EN_774749.jpg