10 | International Fire Chief Association
vide quicker access to information in the
event of a derailment or other emergency.
As for training, in 2007, the IAFC
and PHMSA successfully created what is
known as the National Hazardous Mate-
rials Fusion Center, a program that links
hazmat teams and responders around the
Country through a data and information
sharing network. The Fusion Center con-
nected hazmat teams and responders from
around the world through a web portal
and network, enabling their access to
state-of-the art training for response to a
variety of hazardous scenarios. Despites
cuts in federal funding of the program, the
IAFC has continued to keep the training
doors open. Due to the variety of hazard-
ous material composition, the variety of
that which is being stored or transported
throughout the country, and the variety of
situations that can be encountered, Chief
Clemmensen says it can be costly to pro-
