ALBANY, N.Y. (AP & WXXI News) — Firefighting foam used to fight oil train spills and fires is being deployed to 19 cities across New York state.
The foam concentrate is stored in trailers along with equipment needed to apply the foam to an oil spill. The foam forms a blanket over oil spills and contains fires.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the trailers are being placed in cities along the north-south and east-west routes of oil trains that cross the state, from Buffalo to Albany and Plattsburgh to Rockland County.
The state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services is placing the trailers near major population centers along rail lines and waterways. The trailers will be deployed by early 2016.
The first six trailers have been assigned to jurisdictions with the most limited resources - Essex County and the Amsterdam, Buffalo, Kingston, Newburgh and Utica fire departments.
The remaining trailers will be deployed to other areas which have some existing resources, including the Albany, Binghamton, Elmira, Mayville, Olean, Oneonta, Plattsburgh, Rochester, Saratoga, Syracuse, and Watertown fire departments, as well as Rockland County and the New York State Stockpile in Guilderland. It is anticipated that all units will be deployed and operational by early 2016.
