Moorhead Fire Department to Receive $100,000 in State Funding for Rail Safety Emergency Response Equipment and Training

Press Release

Governor Mark Dayton and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety announced today that the Moorhead Fire Department will receive $100,000 in state funding to staff and train an Emergency Response Team, and upgrade and expand the city's emergency response equipment. In light of the large amount oil transported through the state, Governor Dayton signed legislation into law this year that provided this funding for an Emergency Response Team in Greater Minnesota.

"Tens of thousands of people live in the City of Moorhead, and many live within just a few miles of the railroad tracks," said Governor Dayton. "Given the increasing volume of oil trains traveling through the city and surrounding communities, this funding was urgently needed."

Funding for Moorhead's Emergency Response Team will be allocated as soon as the contract is finalized between the Moorhead Fire Department and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM). Once the funding is in place, this new Emergency Response Team will improve response capability across northwest Minnesota in the event of an oil train accident. Prior to this new funding, Minnesota had only one Emergency Response Team based in the Twin Cities.

Today's announcement comes as Governor Dayton holds his fourth in a series of statewide railway safety meetings in Moorhead. The Governor will meet today with local residents, elected officials, and emergency managers to discuss the state's new railway safety laws and to identify additional ways the state can partner with local communities to reduce the risk of oil train accidents in Minnesota. He also plans to discuss what can be done to reduce the backlog of grain shipments on Minnesota's railways. Today's public meeting begins at 3:00pm at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

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