(April 27, 2011) Washington - The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) will be hosting two Ethanol Safety Seminars in Texas. The first seminar will be hosted in Houston, TX on May 2nd with the Houston-Galveston Clean Cities Coalition. The second seminar will be hosted in Beaumont, TX on May 3rd with the South East Texas Clean Cities Coalition. In order to accommodate schedules and reach as many participants as possible, each location will feature a morning session from 9:00am-2:00pm, and an evening session from 5:30pm-10:00pm. These seminars are free. While primarily targeting first responders, hazmat teams, safety managers, and local emergency planning committees, they are also open to the general public.

Safety is a top priority for the ethanol industry. It is important that those responsible for safety in their communities are well prepared and trained for responding to ethanol related emergencies. Following the completion of the Ethanol Safety Seminar, Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Certificates will be distributed for training hours.

“First responders need to feel secure in ethanol emergency situations so the public can feel secure. Let’s be prepared to respond to any incident efficiently and effectively by providing ethanol fire safety training information to our communities. Ethanol is a safe and environmentally friendly fuel alternative to foreign petroleum,” said Kelli Angelone of the Houston-Galveston Clean Cities.

“The increasing number of flex-fuel vehicles available to the public and the percentage of ethanol in all grades of gasoline makes it increasingly important to train our emergency first responders about all aspects of ethanol safety, from storing to dispensing,” said Bob Dickenson, Director of Transportation and Environmental Resources Division of the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission.

The goal of these seminars 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.

“Ethanol use continues to increase in production and transportation year after year,” said Robert White, RFA Market Development Director. “First responders need to be familiar with the fuel and know how to effectively respond to an ethanol related incident. This program details the response information that is essential to these emergency situations. We are happy to provide this type of information to those that dedicate their lives to protect their communities.”

The Ethanol Safety Seminars focus 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.

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/.