Excerpts from wrex.com:
[The Rockford Fire Department received a] Metra train car, something the city has wanted for years.
“When we first started this project back in 2015, that’s when passenger cars were supposed to be transporting people to and from Rockford,” said Rockford Fire division Chief Matt Knott.
[Firefighters will] train for all kinds of emergency scenarios, which can also be used in statewide emergencies, as well.
“There’s also the opportunity for our members to be on urban search and rescue teams, and other statewide response teams, it certainly has value to those teams and they already have started to look at it and plan some trainings around it,” said Knott.
Both Rockford Police and the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office say they’re are already brainstorming how to use the train for their officers.
“That allows us to do multi-things, not just on a SWAT or a tact team, but on a medical assist, and just moving forward and training with the other departments,” said Sheriff Gary Caruana.
