The Renewable Fuels Association has released a series of ethanol emergency response videos aimed at ensuring effective responses to ethanol incidents. The eight-episode package was developed in conjunction with TRANSCAER and funded via a federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ALERT grant.
“It is important for us to get this critical safety response information out to as many people as we can, and in as many ways as we can,” said Missy Ruff, RFA Director of Safety and Technical Programs. “Through in-person seminars around the country, online webinars with participants around the globe, and this newly updated online learning program, we are ensuring that emergency responders have the resources they need to react quickly and safely to any emergency situation that may arise.”
The training modules include:
- Introduction to Ethanol Training
- Ethanol and Ethanol-Blended Fuels
- Chemical and Physical Characteristics of Ethanol and Hydrocarbon Fuels
- Transportation and Transfer
- Storage and Dispensing Locations
- Fire Fighting Foam Principles
- General Health and Safety Considerations
- Storage and Pre-Planning Considerations
These videos are also posted on the TRANSCAER learning management system website, where emergency responders and others can take this course at their own pace and receive a certificate of completion for four hours. TRANSCAER is a voluntary national outreach effort that focuses on assisting communities to prepare for and respond to possible hazardous material transportation incidents. At the end of 2021, RFA’s Ruff is concluding her term chairing the National TRANSCAER Task Group.
In 2021, more than 1,500 attendees were trained via 36 training opportunities supported by RFA. Since its inception in 2010, RFA’s award-winning safety program is responsible for training over 14,000 individuals and conducting 355 training sessions and events. Attendees represented 49 U.S. states and 28 other countries. For more information on RFA’s work in this area, visit the Ethanol Emergency Response website at www.ethanolresponse.com.
