Look, Listen
and Live!
January 2011
10985 N. Harrell’s Ferry Rd., Baton Rouge, LA 70816
Phone 225-921-8381
FAX 225-275-1460
www.laoperationlifesaver.org
Operation Lifesaver -- Be Safe near Tracks in 2011
Approximate Stopping Distance
An important New Year’s resolution for all drivers, Louisiana Operation Lifesaver encourages safety near
railroad tracks in 2011. Your actions
can save your and your neighbors’
lives.
“Pay attention as you approach
railroad tracks,” said Pat Edwards,
executive director of Louisiana Operation Lifesaver. “We are distracted by
so many things when we drive. Stay
focused near railroad tracks.”
Operation Lifesaver, a rail safety
education organization, is dedicated
to reducing collisions, fatalities and
injuries at railroad tracks and railroad
rights-of-way.
Trains can travel at any time and
from any direction. “Always expect a
train. You may cross the same tracks
at the same time everyday, and you
may never see a train,” said Edwards. “But freight trains don’t follow set
schedules, and passenger train schedules may change. Always look and
listen for an oncoming train as you
approach a crossing.”
Trains cannot stop quickly. The
weight and size of the train combined
200 Ft
230 Ft
300 Ft
with the train speed dictate how
quickly it can stop. It may take a 100car freight train moving 55 mph more
than a mile to stop, once the emergency brakes are applied. By the time
the locomotive engineer sees a vehicle
on the tracks, it is too late to avoid the
crash. Approximate Stopping Distance
At 55 MPH
200 Ft
230 Ft
300 Ft
600 Ft
>5280 Ft
“Many people don’t realize that
trains are three feet wider than the
tracks. Drivers need to be certain that
their vehicles are clear of the tracks. Never stop on or near the tracks,” said
Edwards.
Some crossings have multiple
tracks, which require closer attention
to look in both directions. “Turn down
the music, put down the phone, and
focus on the railroad crossing,” said
Edwards. “One train may have just
passed by, but be sure that a train is
not approaching from the other direction.”
“Louisiana has about 2,800 miles
of railroad track – that’s close to the
mileage between New York and Los
Angeles – all within our state borders,” said Edwards. “With approximately 5,600 railroad crossings in
Louisiana, that provides a great deal of
opportunities for crashes.”
600 Ft
Louisiana Highway-Rail
and Trespass Statistics
2008 2009
Hwy-Rail Incidents
Hwy-Rail Fatalities
Hwy-Rail Injuries
Trespass Fatalities
Trespass Injuries
113
15
43
6
9
84
11
35
10
5
as of
11/2010
100
13
61
9
6
It is illegal to drive around lowered gates at railroad crossings. “Don’t try to beat the train. Even
if you tie, you lose,” said Edwards. “Trains are closer and moving faster
than they may appear to the driver.”
It is also illegal to walk on train
tracks, which are the private property
of the railroad. Pedestrians should
cross the tracks only at designated
walkways.
At 55 MPH
Operation Lifesaver provides several methods to educate the public on
safety near tracks:
• Free safety presentations to
audiences of any age and profession, including teen drivers, commercial drivers, and school bus
operators.
• Exhibits and promotional
materials at safety fairs, state
festivals, conferences, model train
shows, and other activities.
• Educational brochures, videos
and statistics on the national website, www.oli.org, and the state
website, www.laoperationlifesaver.org.
• Press releases, commercials,
and email newsletters.
“Operation Lifesaver needs your
help to save lives,” said Edwards. “To
schedule a free safety presentation for
an organization, school or company, or
to become certified as a presenter, visit
www.laoperationlifesaver.org, email
[email protected], or phone
225-921-8381.”
>5280 Ft
KCS Railroad Holiday Express
Visits Four Louisiana Cities
The Kansas City Southern Railroad Holiday Express delighted
children of all ages in Louisiana during November and December,
2010, spreading Christmas cheer in Shreveport, Monroe, Leesville and
DeQuincy. More than 4,500
guests visited the holiday train in Leesville
and DeQuincy.
LA OL Presenter
Steve Ezell (top left
photo) with KCS
provided these photos
from the event held at
the DeQuincy Railroad
Museum. 2010 Louisiana Special Events
Category
Community Safety Blitz
General OL Train
Officer on the Train
Other (e.g., Safety/Health Fair)
Other Conference Exhibits
State/County Fair Exhibit/Booths
TOTALS
Page 2
Events
7
6
2
3
4
40
Contacts
5,043
2,834
35
445
1,230
19,855
62 29,442
Look, Listen and Live!
January 2011
Louisiana Operation Lifesaver
Continues Advancement in 2010
Louisiana Operation Lifesaver
expanded its outreach activities once
again in 2010. The
2010-2015
Strategic
Plan was
implemented
in June 2010,
providing
a foundation for
developing
community
partnerships,
identifying funding
opportunities, certifying active OL
Presenters, and implementing a comprehensive marketing plan.
Presenter Outreach
More than 41,000 Louisiana
residents attended more than 1,200
presentations in 2010. In 2009, 1,088
presentations were made to 48,426
Louisiana attendees.
Fifty new presenters were certified
in 2010 in Louisiana.
The number of active Louisiana
presenters reporting four or more presentations annualy increased from 48
What is Operation Lifesaver?
Operation Lifesaver, Inc. is a national,
non-profit safety education group whose goal
is to eliminate deaths and injuries at railroad
crossings and along railroad rights of way.
Operation Lifesaver’s trained and certified
presenters give free safety talks to community
groups, schools, school bus drivers, truck
drivers and community organizations to raise
awareness of the need for caution around
railroad tracks and trains.
Page 3
to 73.
More than 650 law enforcement
and first responder personnel attended
Grade Crossing Collision Investigation and Rail Safety for Emergency
Responder training in the state.
Marketing
The LA OL website was updated
and went live in March 2010, providing user-friendly information, statistics, an event calendar, photo gallery
and more.
Two public safety announcements
were aired on cable TV markets. In
January and February 2010, the OL
distracted driver PSAs aired almost
4,500 times in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and New Orleans. In November
and December 2010, the New Orleans
Saints PSA featuring kicker Garrett
Hartley aired more than 6,500 times in
Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles,
Monroe, New Orleans, Shreveport,
and Tangipahoa Parish markets.
Each edition of this quarterly
newsletter, initiated in April 2010, has
been emailed to community partners
statewide to spread our rail safety
message and encourage safety presentations. The newsletter is archived on
the LA OL website.
Look, Listen and Live! is a quarterly
publication of Louisiana Operation
Lifesaver, Inc., and is archived at
www.laoperationlifesaver.org
Requests or inquiries should be sent to:
Louisiana Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
10985 North Harrell’s Ferry Rd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
Email -- [email protected]
Phone -- 225-921-8381
FAX -- 225-275-1460
Web -- www.laoperationlifesaver.org
Look, Listen and Live!
SIGN
ME UP!
___ I want to be a certified
Operation Lifesaver Presenter!
Please visit
www.laoperationlifesaver.org
Complete the online form,
or print and return the Louisiana
Presenter Questionnaire Form to the
State Coordinator as directed. ___ I want to be an
Operation Lifesaver Donor!
To support Louisiana Operation
Lifesaver, complete this form and
return to:
Louisiana Operation Lifesaver
10985 N. Harrell’s Ferry Rd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
Name __________________________
_______________________________
Address ________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
Phone _________________________
Email __________________________
_______________________________
Amount enclosed $_____________
Make your check payable to:
Louisiana Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
Louisiana Operation Lifesaver is a 501(c)
(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are taxdeductible according to federal and state tax
regulations. Consult your tax advisor.
January 2011
OL Exhibit Booth at Ag Expo 2011
The North Louisiana Agri-Business Council hosted Ag Expo 2011 on January
14-15 in West Monroe, bringing over 13,000 visitors from the region to the trade
fair. OL Presenter Claire Carothers coordinated the Operation Lifesaver booth,
and was joined by Jess Kilgore, Jerald Scott, Sam Liggin, Billy Fuller, and Lawrence Henagan.
Right: Jess Kilgore provides Operation Lifesaver
materials to an interested
Ag Expo attendee.
Request a Free Railroad
Safety Presentation
You can help to promote safety
near railroads! Contact us today!
To request a free personalized
Operation Lifesaver presentation
for your business, school, church,
or organization, please submit the
online form on our website at
www.laoperationlifesaver.org or
contact Pat Edwards, La. State
Coordinator at 225-921-8381 or
[email protected].
Bottom left: Billy Fuller
and Claire Carothers greet
Ag Expo participants to the
OL booth.
Bottom right: Jess Kilgore,
Jerald Scott, and Billy
Fuller get the booth ready
for visitors to the Ag Expo.
Presentations can be customized
for any age group or profession
with targeted PowerPoint visuals,
charts, brochures, and videos.
More than 100 certified Operation
Lifesaver Presenters in Louisiana
are available to speak to your
organization. You can make a difference!
LSP Troop A Hosts Family Day
Louisiana State
Police Troop A
Family Day was
held in Baton
Rouge on November 14, 2010. Lawrence Henagan
(left) provided the
Union Pacific OL
trailer for the event
and distributed
rail safety materials with La. state
coordinator Pat
Edwards (right).
Page 4
Louisiana Target Parish
Presentations in 2010
Parish
Presentations Audience
Allen
0
0
Bossier
29 1,453
Caddo 262 7,313
Calcasieu
46 1,121
East Baton Rouge 55 2,317
Iberville
13
468
Lafayette
57 2,250
Orleans
32
613
Ouachita
34 1,692
Sabine
13
515
St. Landry
10
372
Tangipahoa
53 1,056
TOTALS
Look, Listen and Live!
604
19,170
January 2011
Operation Lifesaver Presenter Certification
Become a
Certified
Presenter
You can share our safety message to reduce injuries
and fatalities near railroad crossings and railroad
rights-of-way. To become a certified Operation Lifesaver Presenter, complete and submit the online form at www.laoperationlifesaver.org. Three students participated in the November 2010 OL Presenter Certification Class in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Left to right – Cordy Carr, Maxine Wilson, and Jim ‘Bigfoot’ Bellmyer.
2011 Presenter Certification Classes
February 15-16
April 5-6
June 21-22
August 23-24
October 18-19
December 6-7
Shreveport
Lafayette
New Orleans
Alexandria
Baton Rouge
Shreveport
2010 Louisiana OL-Certified Presenters
Congratulations to these 50 new Operation Lifesaver
Presenters who were certified in Louisiana in 2010:
Robert Apperly, Scott Baker, Mark Baudoin, Tim
Briery, Donny Brokenberry, John Byers, Ellis Cattan,
Ann Coston, Don Coward, Ronnie Duncan, Elisa Foster,
Jon Gimber, Jeremy Green, Claudia Guijo-Glascock,
Mike Guidry, Stephen Hammons, Vic Harris, Jonathan
Hicks, Greg Hill, Grady Hunt, Beth Inbau, ShaBrodrick
Jones, Sylvester Joseph, Jess Kilgore, Sam Liggin, Claude
Maher, Cassandra McZeal-Gardiner, Kenny Menyweather,
J.R. Moore, Patrick Murphy Jr., John Nelson, Rene Nieto,
Nick Manale, Melissa Matey, Barbara McManus, Fred
Myers, Kevin Perkins, Shane Pitre, Anthony Powell,
Michael Richardson, George Sanders, Jimmy Wayne Scott,
Clint Sistrunk, Markus Smith, Megan Talton, L.C. Thomas,
Mike Trosclair, Jeannie Verret, Edward Wright, and
Bryan Zeringue.
2010 Louisiana Presentations
The December 2010 Presenter Certification Class was held
in Alexandria, Louisiana, with two student participants. Left to right – David Henagan, Presenter Trainer Billy
Fuller, and Orlando Calhoun.
Page 5
Audience Type
Presentations
All Driver Education* 308
EMS/Firefighters
23
General Adult
278
General High School
76
K thru Grade 8
284
Law Enforcement
19
Pre-K/Head Start
48
Professional Driver -- Buses 13
Professional Driver -- Truck 139
School Bus Driver
33
TOTALS
1,221
*bold denotes Target Audience
Look, Listen and Live!
Audience
8,334
352
5,973
3,452
14,924
216
2,257
150
2,817
2,946
41,421
January 2011