California Operation Lifesaver (CAOL) and the Southern California Rail Safety Team (SCRST)—which includes management of public safety from Amtrak, BNSF, Metrolink, and the UPRR—conducted an 8-hour Grade Crossing Collision Investigation (GCCI) course for Corona, Riverside, and Upland Police Officers. In a GCCI course, officers learn about the operations of trains that run in the areas they patrol and how to properly interact with railroad personnel and emergency crews. Instructors included three CAOL Board Members.
Simultaneously, another team of 12 CAOL Volunteers, including safety members of the aforementioned railroads, met at the Riverside Police Department. They conducted a four-hour community Safety Poster blitz, promoting safety around nearby tracks. The team focused on Riverside because of its high rate of incidents on and around the rails.
Rail Safety Teams met with three elementary schools, a middle school, and personnel/resource officers from six area high schools. They also met with the California School for the Deaf, three universities, two county libraries, the Galleria Mall, Regal Theater Group, a cable company, First Student Bus Company, and a few other businesses. Items provided were a cover letter explaining the purpose of ILCAD, Fact and Tips with California statistics, railroad Safety Posters, CAOL ‘Save A Life’ Video cards, pedestrian and driver safety brochures, cross buck pins, and specially ordered pens in support of ILCAD.
All participating organizations were receptive to the CAOL message—putting up posters on the spot, distributing safety brochures to students, spreading the message of rail safety to other schools and scheduling CAOL presentations. Kudos to all involved as the day was a huge success! Follow-up at the same locations will be conducted in September during Rail Safety Month.
Top left to right: Gordon Taber, Marty, Sandra Martinez—Bottom left to right: Ronnie and Steven Jadczak—Top right: Kurt Blodgett, Pete Aadland, Rodney Doerr, John Carlucci—Bottom right: Becky Michalkiewicz and Kelly Phelps
