Washington, DC– TRANSCAER® 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.
TRANSCAER (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response) is a voluntary, nationwide outreach effort that helps communities prepare for and respond to hazardous material transportation incidents.
Ammonia, along with other potentially hazardous materials, is used in a variety of beneficial applications – anhydrous ammonia is rich in nitrogen and is the primary component of fertilizer. Because anhydrous ammonia is ified as a hazardous substance, and used and stored under high pressure, those who work with anhydrous ammonia must be properly trained on specific handling procedures.
“Effective emergency response begins with planning and preparation,” said 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 Fertilizer Institute is pleased to play a role in the development of this valuable training program for emergency responders,” said Ford West, President of The Fertilizer Institute. “Anhydrous ammonia plays a key role in U.S. food production, and this national initiative provides an excellent venue for amplifying our industry’s messages about the principles of safe ammonia handling and transportation.” 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.
About TRANSCAER 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. For more information on TRANSCAER, visit www.TRANSCAER.com.
About The American Chemistry Council The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products and services that make people’s lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved environmental, health and safety performance through Responsible Care®, common sense advocacy designed to address major public policy issues, and health and environmental research and product testing. The business of chemistry is a $674 billion enterprise and a key element of the nation’s economy. It is one of the nation’s largest exporters, accounting for ten cents out of every dollar in U.S. exports. Chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development. Safety and security have always been primary concerns of ACC members, and they have intensified their efforts, working closely with government agencies to improve security and to defend against any threat to the nation’s critical infrastructure. For more information, visit www.americanchemistry.com.
About The Fertilizer Institute The Fertilizer Institute represents the nation’s fertilizer industry. Producers, wholesalers, retailers, trading firms and equipment manufacturers which comprise its membership are served by a full time Washington, D.C., staff in various legislative, educational and technical areas as well as with information and public relations programs. For more information, visit www.tfi.org.
For more information, contact: Jenny Heumann, ACC Phone: (202) 249-6520 Email: jenny_heumann@americanchemistry.com
Kathy Mathers, TFI Phone: (202) 515-2703 Email: kmathers@tfi.org