WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) will co-host free Ethanol Safety Seminars Dec. 10–12 at the Portland Fire and Rescue Training Center in Portland, Oregon. The Dec. 10 session will occur from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. while the Dec. 11 and Dec. 12 sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. While primarily targeting first responders, hazmat teams, safety managers, and local emergency planning committees, it is also open to the general public. The seminar’s training is funded by the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s PHMSA Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grant program through the Oregon State Police, Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal, and Portland Fire Rescue.

The goal of this seminar is for attendees to gain full 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 (EERC) that has been distributed throughout the United States and to several countries worldwide.

“The Office of State Fire Marshal is pleased to offer the Ethanol Safety Seminar, funded through the Hazardous Material Emergency Preparedness grant,” said Sue Otjen of Oregon’s State Emergency Response Commission. “This training will provide first responders with the knowledge and resources needed to be prepared to safely respond to ethanol and other fuel related incidents in their community.”

“2014 has been a very successful year for the RFA and its partners in educating and training communities across the nation on swift and efficient responses to ethanol emergencies,” said Kristy Moore, vice president of technical services at RFA. “We are proud to continue this indispensable program in Portland as the year comes to a close.”

The Ethanol Safety Seminar focuses on numerous important areas of ethanol safety including 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. Certificates will be awarded to attendees at the completion of the course.

To register for this seminar, go to www.rfa.traincaster.com. For more information on ethanol emergency response, visit the EERC website at www.EthanolResponse.com.