(July 28, 2011) Washington - The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the Greater Indiana Clean Cities, Inc. will be co-hosting an Ethanol Safety Seminar in Indianapolis, IN on August 3rd at the Indiana Soybean Alliance/ Indiana Corn Marketing Council. This seminar is free.  To accommodate schedules and reach as many participants as possible, the Ethanol Safety Seminar will feature a morning session from 9:00am-2:00pm and an evening session from 5:30pm-10:00pm. 

Attendees will receive in depth information on proper training techniques that first responders and hazmat personnel need to effectively respond to an ethanol-related emergency.  While primarily targeting first responders, hazmat teams, safety managers, and local emergency planning committees, it is also open to the general public.

Ethanol production, transportation, and use are increasing year after year.  As this domestically grown fuel accounts for 10% of our country’s fuel supply, many first responders will be tasked with preparing for potential ethanol-related incidents for the first time.  It is important that those responsible for safety in their communities are well-prepared and trained for responding to ethanol-related emergencies. 

"The Greater Indiana Clean Cities has worked with fleets, both public and private, for more than ten years to implement alternative fuels and advanced transportation technologies,” said Kellie Walsh, Executive Director of the Greater Indiana Clean Cities, Inc.  “As the use of these fuels and technologies expand across Indiana, ensuring our first responders are adequately prepared to respond to incidents involving these fuels is critical.  We are pleased to partner with the Renewable Fuels Association to host this training session, focusing on ethanol safety, the third such event our Coalition has hosted in the past five years."

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 as well as pass along to other first response teams.  A majority of this training is based on the Complete 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.

“Indiana is one of the top five ethanol producing states in the U.S. thanks to 13 biorefineries producing a combined 906 million gallons annually,” said Robert White, RFA Director of Market Development.  “This fuel is transported via rail and truck to numerous fueling and storage locations throughout the state and country. It is important first responders and plant safety personnel are prepared in case of an ethanol related emergency. We are happy to provide the information they need to respond efficiently and effectively to an incident.”

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 of ethanol blended fuels, storage and dispensing locations, firefighting foam principles and ethanol, ethanol blended fuel emergencies, and incidents at tank farm and bulk storage locations.  Certificates of participation will be distributed following the completion of the seminars.

For more information and to register, visit www.rfa.traincaster.com.

About the RFA:  The Renewable Fuels Association is the leading trade association for America’s ethanol industry.  Its mission is to advance the development, production, and use of ethanol fuel by strengthening America’s ethanol industry and raising awareness about the benefits of renewable fuels. RFA’s 200 members are working to help America become cleaner, safer, more energy independent and economically secure.  Visit www.EthanolRFA.org.

Clean Cities Program: Clean Cities was formed in 1993 in response to the Energy Policy Act of 1992. They are a government-industry partnership sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Program. They have nearly 100 coalitions nationwide and more than 8,400 stakeholders, Clean Cities' mission is to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector. For more information, visit www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/.