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Ethanol Emergency Response Training Offered in Eight Cities

Release Date: 04/07/2009
Contact Information: Dianna Whitaker, (913) 551-7598, whitaker.dianna@epa.gov

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Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., April 7, 2009) - A group of emergency response coordinators from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will take part in several ethanol emergency response training sessions scheduled in seven Missouri cities and one Illinois city through May 14.

Ethanol production is a fast-growing industry in the Midwest. First responders, including EPA on-scene coordinators, need to be prepared to respond to ethanol releases and fires. Fires involving ethanol or ethanol gasoline mixtures pose different hazards than traditional petroleum-based fires. Ethanol is water soluble and can burn with a flame so clear that it can be difficult to see.

The training, to be offered in Rolla, Springfield, Carrollton, St. Joseph, Jefferson City, Laddonia, and Carthage in Missouri, and Sauget, Ill., covers the characteristics of ethanol tank cars, so that responders can quickly identify this equipment. Responders also are given information to help them interpret railway manifests.

Registration details and logistical information about the eight training sessions can be obtained at http://www.transcaer.com/events.aspx

The training is offered by Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response (TRANSCAER), a partnership of chemical and transportation industries that help communities with hazardous materials transportation and emergency preparedness.

Ten EPA Region 7 on-scene coordinators will assist with the training sessions and the Mobile Command Post will be deployed to most of the training sites. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and local fire and police departments are also participating. Several railroad companies are providing classroom instruction and hands-on training with railcars, including ethanol tank cars. Similar TRANSCAER ethanol training tours were offered in Nebraska and Iowa in the previous two years.

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Learn more about EPA's emergency response program