When the bell rings in a firehouse, or the tone goes off in the station, communities are counting on skilled individuals who are “trained up” so that they can protect lives and livelihoods. SERTC delivers the highest quality, hands-on, experiential learning with specialist-level courses at the SERTC training center or in remote learning. This flexibility is leveraged to provide even the most rural agency with access to SERTC. SERTC is a division of MxV Rail, which in turn is a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR). The SERTC program benefits from the MxV Rail/AAR relationship with industry. SERTC is among the first to know when standards are changing, or hazards are escalating. Team SERTC develops training based on industry feedback and ensures that scenarios, classroom space, and skill building reflect what is most needed in the field. In 2009, SERTC became a member of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC). The funding SERTC can access in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Training and Education Division (NTED), has been used to train 10,000 first responders to date —at no cost to themselves or their sponsoring agencies. For communities that can’t come to SERTC, the team brings curriculum to them. SERTC hazmat experts are on the road with remote delivery courses that take place at community-based facilities. SERTC also has options for web-based courses that are interactive and instructor-led. Our goal is to make critical first response training for rail accessible to all communities and all levels of professionals. To learn more about the SERTC curriculum and training, reach out to Team SERTC on our Facebook page. View upcoming courses on the registration page of SERTC.org.