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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp honored a North Dakota railman for his heroic role in helping to prevent explosions and minimize danger following the train derailment in Casselton last December.

Heitkamp met with Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad engineer Geoff Andersen and presented him with a framed copy of the speech she gave on the Senate Floor earlier this year. In the speech, she thanked him for his heroic efforts to prevent explosions from spreading, and told the story of how he protected the people and community of Casselton.

“The Casselton derailment was a terrible and dangerous accident, but it may have been much worse if not for the brave acts of North Dakotans like Geoff Andersen,” said Heitkamp. “What Geoff did that day, putting himself in danger to make sure explosions were minimized was nothing short of heroic and it’s a true privilege to honor him.”

Since the train derailment in Casselton last December, Heitkamp has worked on a variety of issues surrounding derailments and other potential incidents on the rails to make sure the safety of North Dakotans and their communities is everyone’s top priority.

In March, Heitkamp brought Casselton Fire Chief Tim McLean to testify at a Senate hearing she chaired about how to better train our emergency responders for emerging threats and hazards. After listening to McLean and first responders across the nation, Heitkamp introduced her RESPONSE Act in June to better prepare emergency personnel in North Dakota and across the country responding to hazardous material incidents, such as derailments of trains carrying materials like crude oil. And make sure first responders in communities near railroad tracks get quality training and have access to the appropriate resources and effective communications.