Answering a question about his fire department's ability to communicate with each other, East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick called communications a "Ginormous" problem noting that first responders operate on different frequencies making it hard to communicate with various departments in different counties and states.

 

Drabick said that on the night of the derailment, there was only one dispatcher on duty being overwhelmed with phone calls for three fire departments and two police departments. "A centralized 911 center would be a good step forward," said Drabick.