(April 6, 2011) Washington - The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition will be hosting an Ethanol Safety Seminar on April 12th, 1:00pm-5:00pm and April 13th, 8:30am-12:30pm, at the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel in Mobile, Alabama. These seminars are free and will be held in conjunction with the International Fire World (IFW) Emergency Responder Training and Expo. While primarily targeting first responders, hazmat teams, safety managers, and local emergency planning committees, they are also open to the general public. The goal of these seminars is for attendees to gain a 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.

Ethanol production, transportation and storage amounts continue to increase year after year. It is important that those responsible for the safety of their communities are well prepared and trained for responding to ethanol related emergencies. In order to accommodate schedules and reach as many participants as possible, there will be two sessions offered. 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. Certificates of participation will be distributed following the completion of the seminars.

“The use of E85 ethanol has increased dramatically in Alabama with over 978,000 gallons of E85 ethanol used in public and private fueling during 2010,” said Mark Bentley, Executive Director of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition. “Increased offerings of flex-fuel vehicles by automobile manufacturers find the consumer, state organizations and municipalities embracing E85 ethanol as a clean, domestically produced, alternative to foreign petroleum. Ethanol safety, from storage to dispensing, continues to be paramount in our efforts in Alabama.”

Prior to these seminars, the Gulf Coast Emergency Response Training Academy (GCERA) will be hosting a live ethanol fire demonstration on April 11th. This will give first-responders a first-hand look at an ethanol fire emergency and the necessary response and extinguishing techniques needed to appropriately respond to this type of fire.

“As production and transportation of ethanol increases in the United States, emergency response training and preparedness for ethanol incidents is essential for first responders,” said Robert White, RFA Director of Market Development. “We look forward to educating about ethanol safety in addition to the positive effects ethanol has on our economy and our environment.”

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/.