(May 2, 2013) WASHINGTON — The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and CN Railway will co-host a free Ethanol Safety Seminar on Thursday, May 9 at the Troy Fire and Police Training Center in Troy, Mich. To accommodate all schedules, there will be a morning session from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and an evening session from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Registration is limited to the first 60 people per seminar. Lunch and dinner will be provided. While primarily targeting first responders, hazmat teams, safety managers, and local emergency planning committees, it is also open to the general public.

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 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.

“As a commitment to TRANSCAER® (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response), CN is happy to partner with the Renewable Fuels Association to conduct this series of Ethanol Safety Seminars for first responders, including firefighters, local emergency planning officials and police agencies,” said Scott McLeod, Sr. Dangerous Goods Officer at CN Railway. “With a focus on ethanol, this seminar demonstrates the importance of preplanning and a continued partnership between responders, the producers and transportation.”

“Safety remains a priority in the ethanol industry. Educating and preparing those who may face an ethanol related emergency is important for their own safety and for the communities they protect,” said Kristy Moore, RFA Vice President of Technical Services. “We are thrilled to continue these partnerships with companies like CN Railway so we are able to provide this valuable ethanol response information at no cost.”

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 at the completion of the course.

To register for this seminar, go to www.rfa.traincaster.com.

The RFA will be co-hosting Ethanol Safety Seminars throughout 2013. Scheduled seminar locations include: Grand Island, Neb., on June 12; Columbus, Neb., on June 13; Salem, Ore., on June 18 and 19; and a state-wide tour of California starting July 8.

For more information on ethanol emergency response, visit the EERC website at www.EthanolResponse.com.

About the Renewable Fuels Association
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 members are working to help America become cleaner, safer, more energy independent and economically secure. Visit www.EthanolRFA.org.

About CN Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries, spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key metropolitan areas of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn., Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. Visit www.CN.ca.