TRANSCAER – Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response, a voluntary nationwide outreach effort that helps communities prepare for and respond to hazardous material transportation incidents – has launched a nationwide anhydrous ammonia training tour to educate and train officials in 27 states across the country on emergency response to anhydrous ammonia incidents.
“Effective emergency response begins with planning and preparation,” says Rollie Shook, chair of the National TRANSCAER Task Group and leader of emergency services and security for Dow Chemical Co. “Since anhydrous ammonia plays a large part in the agricultural, manufacturing, industrial, commercial and transportation industries, emergency responders need the appropriate knowledge and skills to ensure protection of public health and the environment in the case of an accidental release incident.”
The Training Tour focuses on a number of safety training topics, including sessions on ammonia properties, what steps need to be taken to ensure ammonia is transported safely, hands-on training on how to use transport equipment properly, and information on emergency response necessary in case of an ammonia release.
The properties training segment covers both the physical and chemical properties of anhydrous ammonia, as well as basic health effects and initial first aid for treating exposures. Understanding how and why anhydrous ammonia is used and relating the properties of the chemical to real-life response issues also is covered.
Another segment of the training program covers types of ammonia releases that could occur. Topics in this training block address indoor and outdoor release scenarios, defensive and offensive approaches to ammonia release incidences, flammability concerns, where and when to use water in dealing with an ammonia release, and control/containment measures.
The target audience for the tour events includes emergency responders, agricultural businesses, ammonia industry personnel, emergency management officials, public safety representatives, law enforcement agencies and others involved in the transportation of anhydrous ammonia.
The tour focuses on regions of the country where use of anhydrous ammonia in agriculture applications is prevalent. A listing of cities and states where the tour is taking place is available at: www.TRANSCAER.com/events. More locations will be added throughout the year.
In addition, Anhydrous Ammonia Tour training documents and videos will be available online this spring at www.transcaer.com/aa-tour. The training materials consist of Anhydrous Ammonia Tour training videos, PowerPoint presentations and instructor and student guides that address emergency response, chemical properties, transports and nurse tanks and railcars, as well as promotional Print Materials including posters and brochures.
TRANSCAER is sponsored by the American Chemistry Council, the Association of American Railroads, Chemtrec, The Chlorine Institute Inc., The Fertilizer Institute, the National Tank Truck Carriers Inc., the Renewable Fuels Association and the National Association of Chemical Distributors.
