U.S. Rep. John Joyce and 13 colleagues in the House’s Pennsylvania delegation sent a letter Thursday asking Norfolk Southern to improve its communications with local emergency officials when derailments and other accidents occur.

The idea for the letter originated with discussions Joyce, R-13th District, had recently with Altoona Fire Chief Adam Free and other first responders about derailments in which Norfolk didn’t immediately provide information, officials said.

“(Free) told me about an issue with a Norfolk Southern derailment that they found out about from WTAJ,” Joyce said in a phone interview. “He was not happy about that, nor was I.”

Eleven of his district’s 12 counties have Norfolk Southern lines running through them, and many communities in those counties have the lines right through their downtowns, like Altoona, because they grew up around the rail lines, according to Joyce and the letter.

The recent East Palestine, Ohio, derailment “has demonstrated the need for communities to be prepared for the possibility of accidents,” especially when trains are carrying hazardous materials, the letter states. “To protect the lives and livelihoods of our constituents, it is critical that community first responders and County Emergency Coordinators have the information and resources they need to prepare appropriately and react effectively.”

The representatives ask the company:

— To outline current procedures for notifying local first responders and other officials when accidents occur.

— To consider adopting guidelines that call for notifying local officials even when minor incidents happen on railroad property.

— To outline how responders can most quickly learn what is contained in rail cars after accidents.

— To make annual lists of hazardous materials passing through communities available to local agencies.

— To suggest ways to ensure quick notification of first responders in areas without broadband access.

“We are always open to working closer with local communities and their responders,” company spokesman Connor Spielmaker wrote in an email, adding that the firm places “a lot of value” in the responder relationships.

The company already partners with emergency departments for training, according to Spielmaker.

“We debuted our safety train there in Altoona a few years back,” he wrote.

Still, “many rail incidents are minor, and we would not want to take community resources away unless absolutely necessary,” he wrote.

“A lot of time stuff happens that we don’t know about,” Free stated in a phone interview.

Just last week, a couple of empty cars derailed in the yard in Altoona, and Free found out not from Norfolk, but from the city’s mayor, Free said.

The company should notify emergency agencies even after minor incidents, because often members of the public see what has happened and call, he said.

“It’s nice to know,” Free said. “So we’re aware.”

And when a derailment involves hazardous materials, “we need to know,” the chief said.

Seven Republican and seven Democratic representatives co-signed the letter.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.