Dispatcher Defended

Officials defended Charleston (WV) Metro 911 dispatcher Toni Wallace’s handling of a 911 reporting that a tanker train had derailed and overturned near Handley. The 4:44 a.m. call came from CSX Corp. railroad police, who said that HAZMAT was involved and cars were on their sides. However, a local newspaper noted that Wallace never asked if the cars were leaking. Kanawha County commission president Kent Carper said he’ll commend Wallace at a future meeting. “The job of the 911 dispatcher is not to diagnose the patient, it’s to follow protocol. If there was leak, you think [the railroad] would tell us.” CSX later said the accident occurred over an hour before they dialed 911, and they are investigating the delay.