The Transportation Department unveiled a new proposal Wednesday that would require railroads to notify first responders of the cargo a derailed train is carrying. 

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) proposal states when a train accident involves “the release or suspected release of hazardous material,” the railroad operating that train would need to immediately forward details of what that train is carrying to first responders in a 10-mile radius of the area.

This would prepare first responders to help them understand what they are dealing with before they arrive at the accident and determine whether a more specialized response may be needed. 

“When railroads transport hazardous materials, they must do so safely and responsibly,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “Our proposal would improve rail safety and help protect communities across the country by requiring railroads to maintain detailed, real-time information about trains carrying hazardous materials.”

Large railroads already have an app, AskRail, so firefighters could look up what the cargo of each train carries — but the smaller railroads do not have an app like that. This new rule would apply to nearly 600 railroads across the country.

“Fire fighters are often first to show up at many emergencies, including train derailments and HazMat incidents,” Edward Kelly, General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said in a statement. “Accurate, up-to-date information about train contents is critical to keep first responders and the communities they serve safe.”

The new proposal comes just ahead of the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigative hearing into the Feb. 3 derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio.

The NTSB said that after the hearings, the agency will use the information “to complete the investigation, determine probable cause and make recommendations to improve transportation safety.”