One such valued supporter is a Canadian folk band based in B.C. called the Kettle Valley Brakemen. Headed by Jack Godwin, the band plays “toe tappin’ folk bluegrass” music that tells the tales of Western Canada’s steam rail history. Much of the band’s songs focus on historical aspects of railway life, including the experiences of engineers and trainmen. 

Current band members include L to R: Fiddlin' Phil Wiebe, Jack Godwin, Debbie Liebrecht and Craig Brown.

Over the past 15 years, the Kettle Valley Brakemen have been entertaining – and educating – audiences across B.C. in local museums, music festivals and at heritage events. Their use of the troubadour folk music tradition means audiences are treated to enjoyable music, a fun experience and a history lesson, all at the same time.

The “Railway Crossing” song

Operation Lifesaver was introduced to the Kettle Valley Brakemen when band member Craig Brown brought to our attention the fact that the band had produced a song called “Railway Crossing”. This song focuses on the dangers that exist at railway crossings – and the split second poor decisions that result in needless deaths. The song powerfully communicates our rail safety message in a way that’s true to the band’s form – both entertaining and educational.

 Take a listen to the song from SoundCloud:

“Railway Crossing” inspiration

Jack Godwin researched, wrote and provided lead vocals for “Railway Crossing” and Craig Brown produced the song and is responsible for all of the instrumentation, except for the harmonica track. 

Jack Godwin performing outside the Naramata Museum

Like most of the band’s songs, Godwin found inspiration for “Railway Crossing” through an interview he conducted with an engineer about the “good old days”. Near the end of what had been a comfortable and animated conversation, a friend Godwin had brought along for the interview asked the question: “how many people did you see die in front of your engine?” Godwin was struck by the fact that the man answered, without hesitation: “six” and proceeded to tell the tragic tale of each death.

From then on, Godwin has asked this question of every engineer he’s interviewed. And every single one could remember the exact number of deaths they’d witnessed; some could recount the story and others immediately steered the conversation to another topic. For all, these were painful and permanently life-changing tragedies that will forever haunt them.

“I could sense these deaths were very troubling to these men. Most of the stories were about average people who weren’t paying attention. They just didn’t think there’d be a train coming because most of the time there wasn’t. They just got careless. The engineer is helpless under these circumstances and this makes the awful memory all the more painful.”

In writing the lyrics for “Railway Crossing”, Godwin choose a very deliberate format that effectively emphasizes both the emotional impact a railway crossing death has on an engineer, and the fact that absolutely anyone can be killed this way if they’re not paying attention.

“I wanted to start and finish the song with the engineer’s feelings. I tried to create three absolutely plausible scenarios under which normal people are so caught up in their lives that they forget they were reaching a level crossing.”

Godwin says it’s his hope that this song can serve as another way to communicate Operation Lifesaver’s train safety message. And he says that so far, the song is having this desired impact on audiences. 

“I know from many post concert conversations that the impact of this song hits when people realize: ‘It’s people like me that have to be aware of this danger!’ The song brings the risk home to each listener. I hope this song can be used effectively to drive that message home to Canadians.”

We are proud of the progress that we’ve made, but our mission will not be complete until both numbers sit at zero. Thank you for your continued support – in sharing our rail safety message with everyone you know, you can help us make railway related deaths and injuries a thing of the past! Tell your friends and family – these tracks are for trains, not people!

The above teams have received their prizes or will shortly in the coming weeks. Congratulations to the winning teams! And thank you to all who voted – you have chosen Canada’s best youth rail safety messages! To view the highly creative, entertaining and educational winning entries, visit: www.OffTheRailsContest.ca. Together we can save lives! Look, listen, live!

In support of 2012′s Rail Safety Week, Roxane, Betty and Samantha will be participating in a crossing blitz, scheduled for Wednesday, May 2, at the 1st Avenue level crossing in Airdrie, Alberta. The trio will be handing out Operation Lifesaver materials to pedestrians, while the RCMP share the same information with drivers.

Thank you to Roxane, Betty and Samantha for their support and commitment to sharing our important, lifesaving message. We could not achieve our mission without your help!

Trespassing is a major issue, especially given the recent prevalence of teenagers being killed while wearing headphones and walking on the tracks. This demographic is only one of the audiences targeted by seven new trespassing prevention posters Operation Lifesaver is launching as part of this year’s Rail Safety Week. Other specific groups targeted include:

• people participating in outdoor winter activities, including cross-country skiing and snowmobiling
• children walking their dogs and playing around the tracks
• children using railway bridges to fish or play
• people riding ATVs and motorcycles near the tracks

To view and download the “These Tracks are for Trains” posters, please visit our slideshare page:

Keeping watching the blog for more Rail Safety Week related posts as the week goes on. And thank you for your support!

The OTR contest challenged youth between the ages of 11-to-14-years old (grade 7 and 8 students) to create a rail safety message urging their peers to stay off the rails. The contest was nation-wide and included four submission categories: print English, print French, multimedia English and multimedia French.

Working in teams of two or more and under the supervision of a ‘champion’ (adult supervisor), youth were encouraged to have fun creating rail-safety messages that would resonate with their peers. The contest’s by-youth-for-youth focus embodies the belief that every Canadian has the ability to make a difference and that spreading rail-safety knowledge among peers is an effective contributor in establishing ‘safety-first’ attitudes among youth.
 
In OFF THE RAILS inaugural year, Operation Lifesaver was please to receive over 30 submissions from across Canada. Youth put their artistic and creative talents to work in developing posters, videos and comic strips that articulated the essential rail safety facts that all Canadians should know. The winning submissions can be seen at www.offtherailscontest.ca.

“Operation Lifesaver would like to thank all the youth who participated in our first OFF THE RAILS contest and for their active engagement in spreading the word about rail safety,” said Dan Di Tota, National Director, Operation Lifesaver. “The old adage – a picture is worth a thousand words - holds true with rail safety and the submissions this year were nothing short of inspiring in both their artistic creativity and focus on the key information that all youth should possess to stay safe around rail crossings and properties. We look forward to next year’s contest and judging a brand new wave of entries from Canada’s youth.”

Finalists were selected in each category by a panel of judges, with winners determined by online voting that was completed by February 29, 2012.

The entries receiving the most votes in each category were:

Print English

• The Exacts  with 1,120 votes (Mississauga, Ontario)
• Blah Blah with 888 votes (Kanata, Ontario)
• Stay Away and Stay Alive with 688 votes (Grand Bay-Westfield, New Brunswick)

English Multimedia

• SafetyRox411 with 917 votes (from Markham, Ontario)
• Get Off and Stay Off with 732 votes (from Milton, Ontario)
• Team P.R.U.N.E.S with 595 votes (from Kanata ON)

Print French

• Barcelone! with 436 votes  (Kingston, Ontario)
• Les Violets with 412 votes (Kingston, Ontario)
• Je suis un chat, oui je suis with 69 votes (Kingston, Ontario)

French Multimedia

• Train Franco-Ontarien went uncontested to garner top spot (Sudbury, Ontario)

OFF THE RAILS awarded four grand prizes of $2,000 and six secondary prizes of $500.

About Public-Rail Safety Week

Public-Rail Safety Week is a nation-wide, community-level initiative, occurring this year between April 30th and May 6th, which includes crossing blitzes, mock collisions, public service announcements, and presentations to schools, youth clubs, drivers associations and community groups in an effort to raise public awareness of rail safety.  To learn more about Public-Rail Safety Week please visit: http://www.operationlifesaver.ca/events/ol-public-rail-safety-week-2012/

About Operation Lifesaver

Established in Canada in 1981, Operation Lifesaver is a national public-rail safety program sponsored by Transport Canada and the Railway Association of Canada. Through partnerships with provincial safety councils, police, railways, the trucking industry and community groups, Operation Lifesaver is dedicated to saving lives by educating Canadians about the hazards surrounding highway/railway crossings and trespassing on railway property. www.operationlifesaver.ca

For more information please contact:

Rob Mclean
Media Relations, Operation Lifesaver
613-400-7622
robm@operationlifesaver.ca

Dan Di Tota
National Director, Operation Lifesaver
613-564-8094
dand@railcan.ca

Paul Goyette
Railway Association of Canada
613-564-8097
paul@railcan.ca

OTTAWA, April 30, 2012 – Operation Lifesaver, the nation’s dedicated non-profit organization focused on preventing accidents associated with train collisions with motor vehicles and trespassing on rail property, today launched the 10th annual Public-Rail Safety Week (PRSW) across Canada. PRSW runs nationally from Monday April 30th to Sunday May 6th with a focus on disseminating rail safety best practices and on empowering Canadians to take personal responsibility for their safety on or near rail property.

PRSW brings together Operation Lifesaver partners and volunteers in hundreds of community-level events and activities – such as crossing blitzes, mock collisions, public service announcements, and presentations to schools, youth clubs, drivers associations and community groups – to raise awareness of the importance of rail safety.

While rail transportation is the safest of all ground transportation modes, illegal trespassing on rail property and negligence at railway crossings results in unnecessary and preventable tragedies each year.

This year’s PRSW efforts are more critical than ever as recent statistics compiled by the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) report accidents, serious injuries and fatalities for the first quarter of 2012 are above those reported for the same period last year and higher than the five-year average.

In the first quarter, YoY accidents increased nationally from 59 to 74, serious injuries increased from 9 to 17 and fatalities increased from 14 to 17.

The rise in incidents were not evenly distributed across the nation. In the first three months of 2012, YoY comparison of provincial data shows:

• British Columbia – accidents increased from 5 to 14, serious injuries remained unchanged at one, and fatalities increased from 0 to 5.
• Ontario – accidents increased from 15 to 22, serious injuries increased from 3 to 8, and fatalities declined from 7 to 5.
• Manitoba – accidents increased from 3 to 8, serious injuries increased from 1 to 2, and fatalities declined from 3 to 1.
• Alberta – accidents decreased from 18 to 14, serious injuries increased from 2 to 5, and fatalities increased from 1 to 3. Of note, while crossing accidents declined from 18 to 11, trespasser accidents increased from no incidents in 2011 to three in 2012.
• Saskatchewan – accidents decreased from 12 to 9, serious injuries decreased from 2 to 1, and fatalities increased 1 to 2.
• Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Northwest Territories cumulatively reported no serious injuries, one fatality (in New Brunswick) and seven accidents (four of which occurred in Quebec)

“Last year had the lowest incident rates on record and continued the trend of reducing crossing collisions and trespasser incidents, which have declined by over 79 per cent since Operation Lifesaver’s inception 30 year ago,” said Dan Di Tota, National Director of Operation Lifesaver. “This year’s marked increase in incidents presents a troubling break in that trend that we believe must be stopped in its tracks. During Public-Rail Safety Week we are calling on all Canadians to take rail safety seriously, get involved and to educate themselves and others on best practices that we know help save lives.  We must all contribute to ensuring that the statistics that marked the first quarter of this year do not carry through the remainder of 2012.”  

While Canada is a rail-nation with over 37,000 rail crossings and approximately 1,100 active trains operating each day transporting more than 70 per cent of Canada’s surface goods annual, Operation Lifesaver believes that the nation’s crossing and trespasser accidents should ideally be zero as such incidents are almost always preventable. Operation Lifesaver’s motto of ‘Look, Listen and Live’ and library of digital and print safety materials created for the public embody the belief that the best way to prevent tragedy is for Canadians to be aware and informed of rail safety.

Through its partners and volunteers, Operation Lifesaver is active in communities all across Canada and gives over 500 rail safety presentations annually. During Rail Safety Week organizations and the public-at-large are encouraged to attend PRSW events in their community and to consult Operation Lifesaver’s free safety resources, which include:

• A new series of posters titled “These Tracks are for Trains” which highlight the dangers of wearing ear buds, walking, cross-country skiing, riding ATVs or motorbikes on or near rail property available at http://www.operationlifesaver.ca/resources/
• An interactive site for kids, www.olkids.ca, which includes safety pamphlets, Rover the Railway Rabbit cartoons and stories, interactive videos and online activity books
• Safety brochures for specific audiences, including parents, teachers, school bus and truck drivers, commuters, cyclists, emergency responders, and snow mobile and all terrain vehicle drivers available at www.operationlifesaver.ca
• An interactive, online safety education site for new drivers available at www.traintodrive.net
• Safety-related updates on Twitter (www.twitter.com/oplifesaver) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/oplifesaver)

For a listing of events across Canada please visit  http://www.operationlifesaver.ca/events/ol-public-rail-safety-week-2012/

About Operation Lifesaver

Established in Canada in 1981, Operation Lifesaver is a national public-rail safety program sponsored by Transport Canada and the Railway Association of Canada. Through partnerships with provincial safety councils, police, railways, the trucking industry and community groups, Operation Lifesaver is dedicated to saving lives by educating Canadians about the hazards surrounding highway/railway crossings and trespassing on railway property.

www.operationlifesaver.ca

For more information please contact:

Rob Mclean
Media Relations, Operation Lifesaver
613-400-7622
robm@operationlifesaver.ca

Dan Di Tota
National Director, Operation Lifesaver
613-564-8094
dand@railcan.ca

Paul Goyette
Railway Association of Canada
613-564-8097
paul@railcan.ca

As in years past, we look forward to communicating our lifesaving message to Canadians through such activities as crossing and traffic enforcement blitzes, mock railway-crossing collisions, school presentations, rail safety kiosks in malls and other public areas, media interviews, public service announcements and speeches to community groups.

Rail Safety Week Preview

Here are just a few of the things you can look forward to during 2012’s Rail Safety Week:

• This year’s theme is focused on preventing trespassing, with the “These Tracks are for Trains Message”. In support of this message, we will be unveiling seven new trespassing themed posters.

• The winners of the Off the Rails Contest will be awarded their prizes.
• Watch the blog, Facebook page and Twitter for links to media stories about the week’s events and links to important trespassing safety information.

Thank you for your support and we hope you’re looking forward to next week as much as we are. Together we can prevent railway related deaths and injuries!

Without a doubt, learning to drive is a major milestone in a young person’s life – this new responsibility brings a new sense of freedom. But there’s a lot to learn before a driver’s license is granted and sometimes rail safety considerations may be overlooked. This has the potential to be a deadly oversight.

Fortunately, Operation Lifesaver offers a number of train safety learning resources for newly licensed drivers. These materials offer new drivers tips for how to behave safely when they encounter highway-railway crossings – this is lifesaving information. 

Parents and teachers, please share the following rail safety resources with the new drivers in your life:

• The Train to Drive website: this is an interactive computer-based training site that teaches new drivers everything they need to know to keep them alive at highway-railway crossings

• Newly licensed drivers learning materials: these materials consist of an instructor’s guide, student notes and a safety quiz
• Newly Licensed Drivers Presentation: everything new drivers need to know in one presentation

There’s nothing like the freedom of being able to drive – please provide the new drivers in your life with the rail safety information that will keep them alive to enjoy it.