FAIRPORT, N.Y. — Trains pass through many of our communities, prompting some to ask how prepared we are for the kinds of rail disasters we've seen in other parts of the country.
In the village of Fairport, trains are a way of life.
"There's probably about 25 that come through a day," said resident, Barbara Caruana. She has lived right off Railroad Street for decades.
"I've lived here for over 30 years, so you don't really notice the trains much anymore," she said.
Her only real complaint is one you might expect.
"I think the worst part of it is the traffic, trying to get across the tracks sometimes can be a bit of a problem, Caruana said.
And while she doesn't feel unsafe, she says the February toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio does give her pause.
"I mean, if something like that happened here, I live so close it would definitely impact me pretty heavily," said Caruana.
Still, officials with Monroe County's Office of Emergency Preparedness want to assure residents that extensive training and protocols are in place in the event of such a disaster.
"That's something we pay attention to and as I mentioned earlier, we're always and constantly training," said Monroe County Fire Coordinator Steve Schalabba.
Schalabba says the emergency operations center here would be used in such a disaster. A place for state, local and county officials to work together.
"I like to say, 'no good team meets in the huddle.' And our community especially is built on mutual cooperation," said Schalabba. "Our mutual aid system was one of the first founded in the United States."
Though there's no way to control what comes across the county's three main railroads, Schalabba says the Ohio disaster has already sparked conversation locally.
"Whenever you see an incident like that happen really anywhere, we always put ourselves in the same shoes," Schalabba said. "If that incident happened here in this community today, how would we respond to it?"
All that preparation is a big relief for residents like Caruana.
"It definitely puts me at ease some, knowing our first responders are trained and know what to do if anything like that happened," she said.
Safety concerns aside, she doesn't plan on going anywhere.
"This is my hometown, this is where I want to stay. And I really have no desire to leave," Caruana said. "I'll probably be here the rest of my life."