7 ethanol safety seminars to be held in North Dakota

The Renewable Fuels Association and North Dakota Firefighter’s Association will co-host more than half a dozen free Ethanol Safety Seminars this month across North Dakota. The seminars focus on numerous areas of ethanol safety and mainly target first responders, hazmat teams, safety managers, and local emergency planning committees, although they are also open to the general public.

Starting Aug. 17, Ethanol Safety Seminars will be held in the following locations:

- Aug. 17: Bowman Fire Department in Bowman | 5:30–10 p.m.

- Aug. 18: Dickinson Fire Department in Dickinson | 9 a.m.–2 p.m.

- Aug. 18: Richardton Fire Department in Richardton | 5:30–10 p.m.

- Aug. 19: Washburn Fire Department in Washburn | 5:30–10 p.m.

- Aug. 24: Stutsman County Law Emergency Center in Jamestown | 9 a.m.–2 p.m. & 5:30–10 p.m.

- Aug. 26: Hankinson Fire Department in Hankinson | 5:30–10 p.m.

- Aug. 27: Larimore Fire Department in Larimore | 5:30–10 p.m.

The goal of these seminars is for attendees to gain a complete ethanol emergency response training experience that they can put to use immediately in the field and pass along to other first response teams. A majority of this training is based on the “Training Guide to Ethanol Emergency Response,” a training package created by the Ethanol Emergency Response Coalition that has been distributed throughout the United States and to several countries worldwide. These seminars are funded through a grant from the Department of Transportation’s Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

“The North Dakota Firefighter’s Association is honored to partner with the Renewable Fuels Association to provide the Ethanol Safety Seminars to seven different locations throughout North Dakota,” said Renee Loh, executive director of the North Dakota Firefighter’s Association. “NDFA is grateful that this training can be offered to the first responders of North Dakota! We encourage all first responders to register for this important class.”

“Safety is always a bullet point at the top of RFA’s agenda,” said Missy Ruff, RFA’s technical services manager. “It is important to us that communities have the know-how to respond to ethanol emergencies quickly and effectively. Incidents are rare, but should they occur, these seminars will give first responders the necessary training they need to keep the public safe.”

Topics that will be covered during the seminars include an introduction to ethanol and ethanol-blended fuels, chemical and physical characteristics of ethanol and hydrocarbon fuels, transportation and transfer of ethanol-blended fuels, storage and dispensing locations, firefighting foam principles and ethanol-blended fuel, health and safety considerations for ethanol-blended fuel emergencies and tank farm and bulk storage fire incidents.

To register for a session, go to www.rfa.traincaster.com.

RFA has been hosting Ethanol Safety Seminars since December 2010. For more information about ethanol emergency response, visit the EERC website at www.EthanolResponse.com.