Those folks who go into burning buildings and patch us up by the side of a road after a traffic accident are truly heroes in this country. Well, the folks at the people who help train those first responders how to handle going into hazardous materials (haz-mat) conditions are recognizing the people who advocate for biofuels… and try to help keep those brave men and women safe. For the third straight year, TRANSCAER, which provides that haz-mat training, has presented the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) with its “TRANSCAER National Achievement Award” for RFA’s dedication to educating first responders across the country.

Kristy Moore, RFA’s vice president of technical services, accepted the award on behalf of the RFA at the 27th Annual AAR/BOE Hazmat Seminar in Addison, Texas, stating, “The RFA always has and always will put safety front and center. Preparation is the key to effective emergency response. The RFA works hard to ensure these selfless men and women have the most up-to-date information to handle any hazmat scenario they encounter.”

The RFA recently released an updated version of “The Training Guide to Ethanol Emergency Response.” The training guide was first developed in 2006 to give first responders, safety personnel, and hazmat teams information on how to properly respond to an ethanol-related emergency. It has been distributed to more than 10,000 first responders and was converted into an Ethanol Safety Seminar. In 2010, RFA partnered with TRANSCAER® to conduct more than 100 Ethanol Safety Seminars in 21 states. Additional safety seminars will be announced in June.

To get your copy of “The Training Guide to Ethanol Emergency Response,” just email safety@ethanolrfa.org or visit www.ethanolresponse.com.