LNG, ethanol on FEC tracks pose unprecedented threat, local fire chiefs say

By: Lisa Broadt, Treasure Coast Newspapers

Treasure Coast fire chiefs say they are unprepared for the dangers posed by hazardous materials transported on the Florida East Coast Railway tracks.

Expected increases in freight traffic, the addition of Miami-to-Orlando Brightline passenger rail service and a likely uptick in trains carrying hazardous materials — particularly liquefied natural gas — are public safety threats local firefighters have “never had to deal with before,” Stuart Fire Chief David Dyal, president of the Treasure Coast Fire Chiefs’ Association, said in a letter to Gov. Rick Scott last week…