Local volunteer fire departments who responded to the massive fire following the  train derailment in East Palestine on Feb. 3 , also have multiple Norfolk Southern trains passing through their towns daily.

Most of the departments are made up of volunteers and many have not taken hazmat awareness classes to be prepared.

Despite their desire to have additional training to combat chemical fires, it is not as simple as it may seem.

"It's hard to get volunteer firefighters to commit to another training when they're not being compensated, its hard to get [them] to take time away from their families, take vacations from their jobs," Highlandtown volunteer Fire Chief, Jeremiah Cole said. 

The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) believes without the proper training, first responders run the risk of being ill-prepared to handle hazardous situations.

"We have footage of first responders[in East Palestine] who were knee deep in whatever chemical and water they're using, not knowing what they're fighting," Jennifer Homendy NTSB chair said. 

There are roughly 17 volunteer fire departments across the Mahoning Valley who have major rail lines running through their communities.

Since the derailment, Cole said that despite a lack of certified hazmat training, they have been simulating derailment scenarios to prepare their teams as best as possible.

For Sebring fire department, the chief says they have updated evacuation protocols and signed up for the AskRail mobile app which gives first responders immediate access to accurate data about what types of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) are inside a railcar.

"I don't know if you're ever prepared for something like that, but we try to be prepared as much as possible, " Mike Springer, Sebring fire chief said. 

Springer told 21 News that at least once a year he takes a HAZMAT awareness training course. 

He said on Feb. 12 at 6:30 p.m., Norfolk Southern is sending an instructor to Sebring for a class on how to deal with HAZMAT from rail cars.