Back in 1991, Amtrak Train #711 struck an abandoned auto north of Bakersfield. Upon walking back to the scene, the conductor found a CHP officer who was rather irate that the train hadn't stopped in time. The officer said something to the effect that "we called the railroad a long time ago." Just then, a message came on the police car's radio, the CHP dispatcher saying, "We just got a call back from the Southern Pacific saying they run no passenger trains in this area." The conductor then informed the officer that this was the Santa Fe, and that they had called the wrong railroad. The officer's response was to ask the conductor if the Santa Fe KNEW Amtrak was running this train on their railroad and had permission to do so!
The point being that it's not just a case of communication requirements, but also knowledge and understanding--a learning curve that most public safety personnel don't have the time or inclination to attain given their myriad other responsibilities. In today's world, anything to do with railroads (beyond, perhaps, Thomas the Tank Engine) is well outside most people's perception of "reality."