Wayne Allard: “In another area, the events of the past several years remind us of the vital role of first responders in responding to…”

“In another area, the events of the past several years remind us of the vital role of first responders in responding to natural disasters and terrorists attacks. It is important that our first responders receive the training needed to make critical, life-saving decisions under emergency circumstances. I believe that an essential element of preparing our first responders is to provide them with hands-on experience in real-world training environments. The importance of real world training was called to my attention by a visit to the Transportation Technology Training Center, TTC, in Pueblo, CO. There, I witnessed first hand the tools at our Nation's disposal to equip our first responders with the training they need, specifically in the context of rail and mass transit. But our national training consortium does not currently include a facility that is uniquely focused on emergency preparedness within the railroad and mass transit environment. The inclusion of TTC would fill a critical gap in its current training agenda. TTC is a federally owned, 52-square-mile multimodal testing and training facility in Pueblo, CO, operated by the Association of American Railroads, AAR. Each year, an average of 1,700 first responders travel to Pueblo, CO, to participate in TTC's training program. The facility has trained more than 20,000 students in its 20-year history.”