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Crude oil is a natural material that is refined into gasoline, diesel fuel and other petrochemicals, and transported in all forms across North America. Pipelines are a common means of getting crude oil from one place to another, but rail is increasingly becoming the go-to transportation method for energy companies. This may be efficient for businesses, but it poses additional safety problems that affect civilians and first responders.

The Transportation Department's information systems are vulnerable to serious security threats due to deficiencies with its enterprise architecture, controls and vulnerability remediation.

The Transportation Department's information systems are vulnerable to serious security threats due to deficiencies with its enterprise architecture, controls and vulnerability remediation.

As the end of National Safety Month approaches, first responders are reminded not only of the tremendous impact that public awareness can have on preventing common injuries and deaths, but also the unique role they have in fostering that awareness. Pursuant to a recent court case*, first responders have an affirmative duty to act-whether by educating the public or otherwise ensuring their safety-when there is a known and present danger. With more than 177 million Americans relying on natural gas to meet their energy needs, there are few dangers as universally threatening as the fires and explosions resulting from gas leaks. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, pipelines are the safest means of transporting natural gas. Nevertheless, their figures indicate that nearly 900 natural gas pipeline incidents over the past 20 years have resulted in serious bodily injuries or fatalities. As the 2.5 million miles of pipeline nationwide continue to naturally degrade over time, first responders' training about and management of these leaks will become increasingly important.

The Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic controller training program overran costs four years in a row because it didn't properly outline training needs before issuing the program contract, a Dec. 18 Transportation Department inspector general report says. The overruns totaled about $89 million. In 2008, the FAA began developing the Air Traffic Control Optimum Training Solution meant to train thousands of new controllers the agency intends to hire by 2021.

The events of Sept. 11, 2001 changed airport security forever. Many of the policies put in place in the aftermath of those terrorist attacks persist today. Agents from the Transportation Security Administration and Federal Aviation Administration, in particular, are tasked with following those directives to ensure safety at airports. However, a series of high-profile incidents-such as a November 2013 shooting of a TSA officer at a Los Angeles airport-raised concerns that airports lack sufficient manpower, training and resources to adequately prepare these personnel for that assignment.

When first responders arrive on a fire scene, they face the unknown. From outside the structure, it is often difficult to predict the situation inside. Because this uncertainty impacts decisions about where to concentrate resources and how to approach and enter the scene, firefighters must prepare for a host of scenarios that can put them in harm's way. Under these circumstances, having more information can lead to a safer environment for firefighters and increase response efficiency. Technology can help responders become better informed as they approach a fire scene and increase the effectiveness of their initial entry. One way that firefighters now obtain this information is through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), or drones. These devices extend the reach of firefighters by flying over a variety of hazardous scenes-including those with limited accessibility or excessive risk to humans-and providing valuable information to the responders below.