Presentations:
Don Anderson presented an Honorary Rotary Club membership to Tommy Thomson for his 16 year service as Rotary Foundation Treasurer. Tommy recently resigned as Foundation Treasurer, and his replacement Susie Thomson-Sines was appointed to that position.
Tommy joined Rotary in 1979 and was appointed as Rotary Foundation Treasurer in 1989. Under his leadership, the Foundation acquired 501 c 3 non-profit status, and Tommy has maintained the accounts and public reporting on a pro-bono basis ever since. His steady stewardship of the Foundation has resulted in strong Rotary resource that has grown over the years to have tremendous impact at home and abroad. The club members joined Don in giving Tommy a standing ovation for his wonderful contribution to Rotary.
Program: BNSF Railway Safety.
The program speaker was Courtney Wallace, Regional Director of Public Affairs for BNSF Railway.
BSNF has 32,550 miles of track in the US, with over 6,000 locomotives. The railway runs 1,500 trains per day and over 1.5 million rail cars per year. BNSF employs 3,500 with a payroll of $250 Million.
The railway is rebounding from the recession and showing growth in goods transported. Some of the fastest growing categories are consumer goods and petro chemicals. International goods are down slightly from pre-recession levels. Over $5 Billion will be spent on capital projects this year, with most of that on the northern tier routes. Along with the capital investment is a expansion of the workforce. Approximately 5,000 new hires will take place this year, and BNSF is actively looking for new employees with military backgrounds.
Rail tracks are inspected regularly, with the busier sections getting inspections four times per day. BNSF employs the latest monitoring technology to assess the tracks and the cars. The petro chemical tank cars are a mix of new and old models. BNSF is making an investment into the newest type of tank cars that have the latest safety features to reduce punctures in the event of an accident.
Hazardous materials response is handled by a network of 300 responders who are based at 60 locations around the country. The Hazmat teams regularly offer community hazmat training, with the the next session coming on Sept. 25 in Skagit County.
After fielding several questions from club members about track crossings and train horns, Ms. Wallace offered to look into the questions and provide more information.
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