East Palestine Awarded $16M for Public Safety Complex

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – East Palestine first responders were on the front lines immediately following the Feb. 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern train derailment. Now the village has been selected to receive nearly $16 million for a new public safety complex.

The funds were awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Rural Development Community Facilities Disaster Assistance program.

“East Palestine knows all too well how important well-equipped first responders are to protecting Ohioans,” U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said in announcing the funding Thursday. “We’re continuing to work to make this community whole by securing a new facility for East Palestine police officers, firefighters and emergency personnel.”

The derailment occurred after the freight train traveled through the downtown area, going off the tracks in a less congested industrial and rural area about a half-mile east of the current main fire station. The majority of the fire department’s equipment, including ambulances and firetrucks, are stored in the fire station, which is within 40 feet of the railroad tracks.

If the derailment had happened sooner, the fire station may have been inaccessible or destroyed, making it impossible for the fire department to respond.

The police department and 911 call center, along with a smaller fire station, are located within a mile radius of where the derailment occurred as well, leading to the relocation of the dispatch center to nearby New Waterford and relocation of the fire and police personnel to a city garage outside the radius in the days following the derailment.

The new complex will house the village’s fire, emergency services and police departments. It will also assist Columbiana County as a backup 911 call center.

Pictured at top: A sign is seen at the edge of East Palestine, Ohio, on Jan. 29, 2024. (AP Photo | Carolyn Kaster)

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.