Iowa schedules ethanol spill fighting training in eight cities as preparedness questions linger

March 4, 2008

In Iowa, the Department of Natural Resources has announced training in ethanol spill fighting techniques for eight cities around the state, in response to criticism that ethanol spills and fires pose added danger due to lack of training and materials to fight outbreaks. The Department acknowledged that techniques such as containment booms and absorbent pads do not work with ethanol spills as with conventional gasoline, and that because ethanol mixes with rather than floats on water, there are special risks in handling ethanol accidents near water.

The chief of the Iowa Fire Service Training Bureau said that reports that firefighters are not trained for ethanol fires should not be exaggerated. He said that 17 HAZMAT fire teams exist around the state of Iowa to respond to complex fires, and that ethanol trains generally travel through rural areas where there is less exposure to risk. However, he confirmed that local fire teams do not have ethanol fire-fighting foam.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs said this week that most local fire departments do not have the materials or training, to put out ethanol fires. Ethanol, fires require special alcohol-resistent foams that cost 30 percent more than standard foams used to smother gasoline fires.

Ethanol eats through standard gasoline fire-fighting foams and continues to burn, while water is not effective with fuel fires because it spreads the fires and carries it into areas such as drains and sewer systems.

Ethanol trains, carrying up to 2.5 million gallons of fuel, travel through more than 20 US states and hundreds of communities. By contrast, 10,000 gallons of fuel per tower caused the World Trade Center disasters on 9/11.

25 ethanol related fires or disasters have occured in the past six years, including a recent explosion at the American AG Fuels plant in Defiance. A full list of ethanol fires can be found here. Other recent ethanol fire disasters include derailments in Windsor, Colorado and a 30-car derailment in Ohio.

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Written by Jim Lane · Filed Under Policy