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January 7, 2016 17 1 RJ E C 71 - F1 EP IF Buddy Emerson 5160 N.W. Milner Drive - Port St. Lucie, Florida 34983 Tel: (772) 621-3312 - Fax: (772) 621-3600 bemerson@slcfd.org - www.slcfd.com - Alex Vohr, AVP Operating Policy & Procedures Florida East Coast Railway 7411 Fullerton Street, Suite 300 Jacksonville, FL 32256 RE: Informational Meeting held at the St. Lucie County Fire District — November 12, 2015 Dear Mr. Vohr, Thank you for taking the time to meet with our staff concerning FECR's plan to use LNG as a fuel source for its locomotives in the near future. Although we are aware of numerous ventures involving rail that will certainly spur economic development in the State, what is often taken for granted from our local public* safety perspective is that those endeavors require considerable preparations on our part. After all, we are the ones who will be responding to any emergencies along mare than 20 miles of FEC rail passing through our jurisdiction. With few exceptions, every proposed railway operational change, including the use of more economical and cleaner burning LNG, necessitates changes in first responder capabilities and tactics in order to mitigate potential problems. As proud as I am of our organization, our firefighters, and our capabilities to handle the vast majority of ' emergencies that occur in St. Lucie County, I must admit that we have concerns regarding the increased use and transportation of LNG by rail, the increased freight traffic containing all kinds of hazards in volumes we may not be accustomed to, and passenger traffic along the FEC railway which we have never had to deal with before. It troubles me to say it, but we are simply not adequately prepared for these changes. Though you were here to provide information on the new locomotives and LNG tenders and listen to what we had to say about that topic, I asked for much more during the meeting. What I said is that we need a strategic partner in FECR, or public/private partnerships with FECR, New Fortress Energy, and others, to help us prepare for what's coming. In summary, we need: * Advanced railway operations emergency training for our hazardous materials and special operations teams. - * Proper equipment to handle and/or contain chemical spills, including LNG and other substances. * A centralized Fire/EMS station in a location capable of housing a combined Special Operations and Hazardous Materials team so they can respond quickly and effectively to rail emergencies. ® Railway operations training for all our firefighters so they become familiar with what they may encounter when attempting to mitigate an emergency involving any type of rail car (locomotive, tender, tanker, etc.). • Passenger service/operations familiarization training so that we can prepare for the worst case mass casualty/derailment emergency. • Resource planniing/assistance so that our Standard Operating Guidelines and procedures adequately address your needs.