U.S. DOE Clean Cities has recently released its 2013 Vehicle Buyer’s Guide, available online at http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/publications.html.

The guide includes a comprehensive list of light-duty alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles for model year 2013, and covers model-specific information on vehicle specs, manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP), fuel economy, energy impact, and emissions. The guide also includes information on each model’s energy impact scores, smog scores, and greenhouse gas emissions scores, when available.

The 2013 Vehicle Buyer’s Guide covers the following alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicle types: compressed natural gas, propane, all-electric, plug-in hybrid electric, hybrid electric, ethanol flex-fuel, and biodiesel.

U.S. DOE Clean Cities’ Vehicle Buyer’s Guide provides information on model year 2013 alternative fuel vehicles, like the Chrysler 300 FWD/AWD pictured above. According to the guide, the Chrysler 300 is an ethanol flex-fuel vehicle with a smog score of 5/10 and a greenhouse gas emissions score of 6/10. Credit: Chrysler Group, LLC.

Several useful U.S. Department of Energy resources are also included in the guide. For instance, the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) provides information, data, and tools to help fleet managers and other transpor¬tation decision makers find ways to reduce petroleum consumption.

More specific U.S. Department of Energy resources appear below as quoted from the guide:
• The Alternative Fueling Station Locator helps drivers navigate to stations that provide propane, biodiesel blends of 20% (B20) or greater, natural gas, electric charging, E85, and hydrogen.
• The Vehicle Conversions page provides information on alternative fuel vehicle conversions.
• The Federal and State Laws and Incentives page allows users to browse and search a database of state and federal laws and incentives related to alternative fuels and vehicles, air quality, fuel efficiency, and other transportation topics.
• The Vehicle Cost Calculator compares the thousands of vehicles on the market today. It also allows users to evaluate a vehicle’s emissions benefits, providing side-by-side comparisons of models that use conventional fuels, alternative fuels, and electricity.
• The U.S. DOE Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report helps users to stay updated on the prices of alternative fuels and how they compare to gasoline and diesel prices.

Recently the U.S. DOE Clean Cities Program regional managers visited the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC).

The U.S. DOE Clean Cities Program divides the country into eight regions with regional managers overseeing the U.S. DOE Clean Cities Coalitions in their geographic areas.

A number of years had passed since the U.S. DOE Clean Cities regional managers had visited the NAFTC facilities. In that time, several new regional mangers had been appointed and were unfamiliar with all of the NAFTC programs and facility. Mike Scarpino, regional manager for the north-east region, organized the visit.

NAFTC Acting Director Bill Davis reviewed the current projects and history of the NAFTC. Following the presentation and a question and answer period, the visitors toured the NAFTC training facilities and explored with the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Training Educator (HEVTE). HEVTE is a cut-away Toyota Prius modified to allow students to view the inner workings of the vehicle. QR (quick response) codes are placed on specific components of the vehicle. The codes can be scanned with a hand-held device which will lead the user to additional information about the component.

Bill Davis shows the U.S. DOE Clean Cities Regional Managers some of the features on HEVTE in the NAFTC garage. Credit: NAFTC.

The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) hosted Petroleum Reduction Technologies (PRT) Train-the-Trainer webinars for Clean Cities coordinators on Tuesday, February 26 and Thursday, February 28. The NAFTC developed the PRT curriculum and conducted these webinars as part of the Clean Cities Learning Program (CCLP), funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Initiative, to provide an overview of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles in a format that coordinators could efficiently disseminate to broader audiences.

The PRT curriculum includes a section on each of the major alternative fuels: biodiesel, ethanol, natural gas, propane, hydrogen, and electric drive, as well as information on fuel economy, idle reduction, fleet applications, and an overview of the importance of petroleum reduction technologies. Credit: NAFTC

“The Petroleum Reduction Technologies materials are not as technical as traditional Train-the-Trainer courses,” said CCLP project manager Catherine Mezera. “The PRT curriculum focuses on providing Clean Cities coordinators with a broad range of tools to showcase the importance and types of alternative fuel vehicles to audiences with widely varying backgrounds, from lay people with no automotive background, to highly trained technicians.”

In the fall of 2012, the NAFTC hosted a series of six training classes for Clean Cities coordinators across the country. February’s webinars were geared specifically to those coordinators that were unable to attend one of the classes or who were interested in refreshing their command of the material. Approximately 50 coordinators attended the six training sessions and 41 attended the webinars.

In addition to these classes and webinars, every Clean Cities Coalition received a complimentary copy of the PRT Curriculum Instructor’s Manual. The manuals were sent out in early February to give coordinators time to review the material before the final webinars. The PRT Instructor’s Manual is a resource to aid in the awareness of the benefits of using alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles. This manual was designed to be used for a variety of presentation deliveries for a variety of audiences, including: state, county, and local government officials; fleet managers; stakeholders; private and public organizations; the general public; automotive technicians; and concerned citizens. The materials are designed in a modular format which allows the instructor to include or exclude modules and lessons as needed.

The PRT curriculum includes a section on each of the major alternative fuels: biodiesel, ethanol, natural gas, propane, hydrogen, and electric drive, as well as information on fuel economy, idle reduction, fleet applications, and an overview of the importance of petroleum reduction technologies. The webinars provided an overview on how to use the materials and a walk through of the first section of the Instructor’s Manual: The Importance of Petroleum Reduction Technologies.

The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium is the creator of a comprehensive curriculum focused on Petroleum Reduction Technologies (PRT). The curriculum is part of the Clean Cities Learning Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Initiative. This fall, the NAFTC delivered this curriculum to locations across the country.

In November, NAFTC Project Manager Cathy Mezera traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to conduct a PRT training session.

The PRT sessions are primarily given over two days. The first day of the training, led by NAFTC’s Mezera, is specifically targeted at coordinators, who are then able to disseminate the provided information to broader audiences.

Day one of the Alabama training was held in a hotel near Lawson State Community College, an NAFTC national training center member. The curriculum for the first day of the training includes sections on each of the major alternative fuels, biodiesel, ethanol, natural gas, propane, hydrogen, and electric drive, as well as sections on fuel economy, idle reduction, fleet applications, and an overview of the importance of petroleum reduction technologies.

“The presented information gave the audience a very in-depth look at CNG and propane being used as transportation fuels,” said Guy Gafford, Alternative Fuels Instructor at Lawson State Community College.

Clean Cities coordinators gather after day one of the Birmingham, Alabama PRT training. Pictured from left to right: Mark Bentley, Jeremy Talbot, David Keefe, Margaret Smith, Don Francis, Rebecca Otte, Guy Gafford, Bart Comiskey, Atha Comiskey, Kevin Herdler, Kristy Keel-Blackmon, and Cathy Mezera. Credit: NAFTC.

The second day of the Alabama PRT training was held at Lawson State Community College, and was co-hosted by Mark Bentley, Executive Director of the Alabama Clean Cities Coalition, and Guy Gafford, Alternative Fuels Instructor at Lawson State.

Day two of the training was divided into two sessions: a morning session and an afternoon session. The morning session was designed specifically for fleet managers, stakeholders, and local and state municipal officials, and focused on natural gas and compressed natural gas (CNG).

Morning speakers included Dr. Perry Ward, President of Lawson State Community College, Bentley and Mezera, Mayor Gene Melton of the City of Trussville, Jeremy Talbot from Phoenix Energy Corporation, and Guy Gafford.

The afternoon session was designed for fleet managers, Clean Cities stakeholders, local and state officials, automotive students, and mechanics. The afternoon session focused on the importance of propane. Afternoon speakers included Tommy Hobbs of Lawson State Community College, Mark Bentley and Mezera, Buddy Gamel, President of Precision Sales and Service, and Guy Gafford.

This December, a PRT training was held at NAFTC national training center, Rio Hondo Community College, in Whittier, California. The two-day training, held on December 11 and 12, was conducted by Mezera of the NAFTC, Curtis Martin of Antelope Valley Clean Cities, and John Frala of Rio Hondo Community College.

California has long been acknowledged as a leader in the alternative fuel vehicle industry, and has embraced a range of alternative fuel vehicles, including hybrids, electric vehicles, and even hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

The first day of the training was devoted to coordinators interested in learning more about petroleum reduction technologies. Since the training was held in California, its format was less like a traditional classroom set-up, and was held in a forum format. Experts interested in different facets of the alternative fuel vehicle industry were able to share their particular, specialized knowledge, and learn about other areas of interest in the field.

Rick Teebay, from the Los Angeles County Office of Sustainability, discussed different ways that the county is working on increasing its sustainability. One of the county’s strategies is to promote electric vehicles and electric vehicle infrastructure, which will help to decrease carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.

Rick Sikes, from the City of Santa Monica, addressed natural gas fleet applications.

The next day of the training was developed for fleet managers, stakeholders, local and state municipal offices – and even college students. Although the college’s fall semester had ended four days earlier, several students did show up for the December 12 portion of the training, seeking an opportunity to network with industry experts.

Two representatives from the California Fuel Cell Partnership, an organization that promotes the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and infrastructure, also participated in the training.

The training featured a fuel cell hybrid vehicle (FCHV) on display, as well as several vehicles from GM and Ford.

The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) created a comprehensive curriculum focused on Petroleum Reduction Technologies (PRT), as part of the Clean Cities Learning Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Initiative. This fall, the NAFTC is bringing PRT training sessions to locations across the country.

In October, a training session was held in New Haven, Connecticut, and in early November sessions were held in Plano, Texas and Seattle, Washington.

Pete Polubiatko, Coordinator, Norwich Clean Cities Coalition speaks at the October PRT session at Gateway Community College in New Haven, Connecticut. Credit: NAFTC.

“It was a great opportunity for us,” NAFTC executive director Al Ebron said. “We were able to inform the public about new developments in alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles as we helped them seek out petroleum alternatives.”

The PRT sessions are primarily given over two days. The first day, a train-the-trainer session, is developed specifically for coordinators who then use the information to provide education to a number of different audiences, and covers the entire PRT curriculum. The curriculum has sections on each of the major alternative fuels, biodiesel, ethanol, natural gas, propane, hydrogen, and electric drive, as well as sections on fuel economy, idle reduction, fleet applications, and an overview of the importance of petroleum reduction technologies. The second day of the training provides multiple sessions for various audiences, utilizing the many different topics and materials from the PRT curriculum.

The New Haven training was held at Gateway Community College, a NAFTC national training center member. This event was co-hosted by Gateway, the NAFTC, and Norwich Clean Cities. The training was conducted by Pete Polubiatko of the Norwich Clean Cities, Cathy Mezera of the NAFTC, and Wayne Demske of Gateway Community College. The training featured a presentation from Tom Gaudreu, a senior mechanic with Norwich Public Utilities, on Fleet Experience with Light and Heavy Duty Natural Gas and Electric Drive Vehicles.

One of the sections of PRT is a large overview of the Importance of Petroleum Reduction Technologies. This presentation was part of the Day One session at Gateway Community College in New Haven. Credit: NAFTC.

In Plano, the second day of the two-day session was held in conjunction with the fourth annual Texas Alt Car Conference and Expo. Mezera and Pamela Burns, of Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities, conducted the event. It was co-hosted by the NAFTC, Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities, and Tyler Junior College. The session featured workshops on natural gas, propane and biodiesel fleets hosted by David Briscoe of Tyler Junior College and concluded with a ride and drive event.

The Seattle session was held at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Mezera and Stephanie Meyn from Western Washington Clean Cities conducted the training. It was co-hosted by the NAFTC, Western Washington Clean Cities and Peninsula Community College. The training session featured a tour of the Seattle Tacoma International Airport’s facilities; the airport uses every major alternative fuel except ethanol in its daily operations.

Citizens of Charleston, West Virginia may have noticed a group of alternative fuel vehicles on display at the State Capitol complex on Wednesday. This display was part of the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium and the West Virginia Clean State Program’s two-day presentation of the Petroleum Reduction Technologies (PRT) curriculum.

“The PRT is a comprehensive look at alternatives to petroleum,” NAFTC executive director Al Ebron said. “We at the NAFTC are very excited to bring this training to our home state.”

Director of the West Virginia Division of Energy, Jeff Herholdt, examines the NAFTC’s cutaway Toyota Prius, hybrid electric vehicle training educator (HEVTE). Credit: NAFTC.

The first day consisted of a workshop on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Propane fueled vehicles, all state employees were invited to take the training. The day-long session featured presentations on the benefits of safety of propane and natural gas vehicles. Presenters included director of the West Virginia Division of Energy Jeff Herholdt, co-coordinator of the West Virginia Clean State program, Kelly Bragg, and Chesapeake Energy spokesperson Phil Pfister expo was on the north side of the Capitol Circle, and featured vehicles from the NAFTC, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and the West Virginia Division of Energy.

“Using natural gas for transportation makes use of the state’s impressive resource,” said Herholdt. “Providing information to state employees about natural gas fuels dovetails with the work of the governor’s Natural Gas Vehicle Task Force, which is exploring the costs and benefits of using them in the state fleet.”

Chesapeake Energy spokesperson, Phil Pfister, presents on Natural Gas on the first day of PRT training in Charleston. Source: NAFTC.

The second day of the training was a train-the-trainer session, for Clean Cities coordinators, focused on the entire PRT curriculum. The curriculum has sections on each of the major alternative fuels, Biodiesel, Ethanol, Natural Gas, Propane, Hydrogen, and Electric Drive, as well as sections on Fuel Economy, Idle Reduction, Fleet Applications, and an overview of the importance of petroleum reduction technologies. In addition, Jeb Corey, the CEO of C&H Taxi, presented on his experience using electric drive vehicles in his fleet.

Over the two day training session, nearly 40 people attended.

“It was a great opportunity for the NAFTC,” NAFTC assistant director of Communications and Outreach Judy Moore said. “We were excited to once again showcase the PRT curriculum and all of its accompanying materials. We are very pleased with the success of the training and are encouraged for future PRT sessions across the country.”

The PRT curriculum was developed by the NAFTC as part of a grant from the United States Department of Energy Clean Cities Initiative . In addition to the PRT, the NAFTC also created a First Responder Safety Training curriculum as part of the Clean Cities Program. The Charleston session was the first of six PRT train-the-trainer sessions held across the country in the fall and winter of 2012.

The West Virginia Clean State Program’s quarterly stakeholder’s meeting was held in July in Charleston, West Virginia. The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) has two stakeholders in the program: assistant director of Communications and Outreach, Judy Moore, and executive director, Al Ebron. Moore attended the meeting as a representative for the NAFTC. Both the NAFTC and the WV Clean State program are committed to reducing the use of petroleum in vehicles and promoting the use of alternative fuels.

“We focus on a different fuel each quarter,” co-coordinator of the WV Clean State Program, Kelly Bragg explained. ””This year we’ve focused on electric vehicles, natural gas, and propane, with propane being the focus of this summer’s meeting.”

Director of West Virginia’s Division of Energy, Jeff Herholdt, and co-coordinators of the WV Clean State Program, Casey Randolph and Kelly Bragg at the Clean State stakeholder’s meeting. Credit: NAFTC.

Propane was chosen as the meeting’s topic because it is a by-product of natural gas, a resource that exists abundantly in West Virginia. Today, propane is the third most common fuel in the U.S., with over 300,000 propane-fueled vehicles in use.

The stakeholder’s meetings, held by Jeff Herholdt, director of West Virginia’s Division of Energy and Department of Commerce, featured two main presentations. Bragg provided stakeholders a report on the West Virginia natural gas vehicle task force. Next, Bret L. Chandler, vice president of Triana Management Services, gave a presentation titled “Propane as an Engine Fuel (Autogas),” with assistance from James “Eddy” Grey, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Triana Energy.

The two presentations covered several important developments for stakeholders in the Clean State Program, including the news that through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, funds are being made available to convert fleets of petroleum vehicles to propane. The presenters also disclosed that General Motors is working on producing 3,500 6-L fuel engines for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). (The two most common grades of LPG sold in the U.S. are commercial propane and HD-5). The 6-L fuel engines will be used primarily in fleets of school buses.

Two first responder training sessions took place this summer in St. Louis and Chicago. The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) developed the First Responder Safety Training curricula through the Clean Cities Learning Program (CCLP), funded by the U.S. Department Of Energy (DOE) Clean Cities Program, and the Advanced Electric Drive (AED) Vehicle Education Program, funded by the U.S. DOE.

These sessions were two of six being held across the country this year. In May, First Responder Training sessions were held in San Antonio, Texas and Long Beach, California. Two fall sessions are scheduled for Atlanta and Boston. The NAFTC and Yuba College instructor and fire safety expert, Gary Garissi, will conduct the training sessions. Garissi teaches at Yuba College in California, and works as a fire fighter for the Yuba City Fire Department.

St. Louis

Vehicles line up at the Kirkwood Fire Department during the St. Louis Clean Cities Event. Credit: St. Louis Clean Cities.

The NAFTC and St. Louis Clean Cities held their training program in the suburb of Kirkwood, Missouri. The Kirkwood trainings took place over two days. The first day focused on electric drive vehicles, the second day dealt with the handling of gaseous fuel vehicles. Kevin Herdler, executive director of Clean Cities St. Louis, attended and helped coordinate the event.

“This training is a must,” Herdler said. “We have to find a way to share this with every first responder, no matter if it is a fire fighter, police officer, tow truck driver, or medical professional just trying to help.”

“I would love to have about two months dedicated to this training that would allow me to get to every first responder in the area. These are sons, daughters, husbands, and wives, both inside and outside of this vehicle. It would break my heart to lose one because of one cut in the wrong place,” Herdler added.

Herdler has experience as a volunteer fire-fighter. He has been involved with Clean Cities St. Louis since 1993, and has been the coordinator since 2000.

“A couple of things stood out to me in the CCLP First Responder training,” Herdler said. “First, rethinking the way you approach a wrecked vehicle, the new things you need to look for, like identifying markers on the vehicles. The other is the mobile application that will allow them to know where to make cuts for a rescue.”

The mobile application of the quick reference guide (QRG) is part of the NAFTC’s suite of First Responder Safety Training products. It details various makes and models of electric drive and alternative fuel vehicles, alerting first responders to such items as high-voltage cables, cut zones and other safety information.

Herdler is clear in his support for alternative fuel vehicles, “These vehicles are safe; they have been tested, they have been put through the ringer. I have driven a gaseous fueled vehicle since 1997 and I own two right now and have no fears taking my grandchildren for a ride.”

Chicago
The Chicago Area Clean Cities first responder training featured sessions on biofuel, gaseous fuels, hydrogen and electric drive.

“With an increasing number of alternative fuel vehicles on our roads, there is a growing probability that local first responders may encounter an accident involving an AFV,” said Chicago Area Clean Cities Coordinator Samantha Bingham. “Education such as this training gives our first responders the information they need when responding to an event involving these nontraditional fuels.”

“The hands-on vehicle segments and the videos I believe had the most effect on the trainees,” Bingham continued. “Being able to actually see events on the videos and engage with the trainer while reviewing the vehicles was extremely helpful.”

Chicago firefighters examine the engine of a CNG (compressed natural gas) Chevy Impala at the Chicago Area Clean Cities event. Credit: Samantha Bingham, Chicago Area Clean Cities Coalition.

This was the first time the “Chicago Area Clean Cities coalition worked with first responders in the area. Due to the success of this summer’s event, additional training programs are being planned. Chicago Area Clean Cities has partnered with the City government to promote the use of alternative fuel. The city has up to 25 private alternative fueling stations in the works, and started the “Green Taxi Program” last year. This program encourages the local taxi industry purchase cost-effective hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles to help the City to move closer to reaching carbon emission goals as set out in the Chicago Climate Action Plan.

“Like anything, education is the key to acceptance,” Bingham said. “Much of the public is not even aware that there are alternatives to petroleum or they don’t believe the technology is commercially available. A common thing we hear from the general public is their safety concerns with compressed natural gas and propane as vehicle fuels. I believe eight times out of 10 these individuals change their attitudes after speaking with our coalition members.”

The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium unveiled the full version of its new Petroleum Reduction Technologies (PRT) curriculum in Pittsburgh.

This July, the NAFTC held a PRT train-the-trainer event at the Community College of Allegheny County’s West Hills Campus in Pittsburgh. NAFTC project manager, Catherine Mezera, led the PRT train-the-trainer presentation.

“I believe the class will help coordinators do a better job of educating the public on specific fuels and reductions,” Executive Director of Pittsburgh Clean Cities Rick Price said of the trainings. “I definitely plan on using the materials provided.”

Attendees were given a complimentary copy of the Petroleum Reduction Technologies instructor’s manual, a large binder covering each of the sections that PRT offers. These sections address each of the major alternative fuels: Biodiesel, Ethanol, Natural Gas, Propane, Hydrogen, and Electric Drive, as well as sections on Fuel Economy, Idle Reduction, Fleet Applications, and an overview of the importance of petroleum reduction technologies. PRT can be modular, with each of the sections used as their own particularly focused workshop.

During the Fleet Application section, Mike Lickert, a corporate fleet manager for the supermarket chain Giant Eagle, explained his process of changing his fleet over to natural gas. Lickert’s story is also included as a case study in the Fleet Application section of PRT.

NAFTC project manager, Catherine Mezera, presents an overview of the Petroleum Reduction Technologies curriculum in Pittsburgh. Credit: NAFTC.

“The PRT curriculum materials are going to be an invaluable resource for Clean Cities Coordinators,” Mezera said. “It was rewarding to see the participants’ reactions to the materials presented as part of the Pittsburgh training. The ability to customize the presentations for a variety of audiences and purposes is something that really makes this curriculum unique.”

“The audience was excited to see how the material all comes together for a complete overview of petroleum reduction technologies, or can be used independently for a variety of audiences. During our presentation, the participants started collaborating and bouncing ideas off one another. There’s no better compliment to our materials than folks being excited to start using it.”

PRT was completed as the second project of the Clean Cities Learning Program, funded by a grant from the United States Department of Energy Clean Cities Program. The first project of the grant is the First Responder Safety Training.

Clean Cities regional manager Kay Kelly is the NAFTCs Clean Cities Learning Program award project manager and encouraged Clean Cities coordinators to attend the program. Coordinators are the main-focus of the train-the-trainer sessions.

Clean Cities regional managers, Mike Scarpino and Erin Russell-Story, who both work out of the DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh, attended the PRT training.

“Clean Cities Coordinators and stakeholders will clearly benefit from participating in the PRT training,” Russell-Story said

“From the technology/fuel specific training, outreach materials, videos and fleet manager focused materials, the training has many items that can be mixed and matched for various forms.” Scarpino added.

PRT attendees at Allegheny Community College in Pittsburgh. Credit: NAFTC.

This fall, six additional PRT train-the-trainer sessions will be held across the country. All of the events will last two days. One day of the training will be focused on the train-the-trainer model with the Clean Cities coordinator in mind. The second day of the training will provide multiple sessions for various audiences, utilizing the many different topics and materials from the PRT curriculum. All events are free to attend.

The tentative locations and dates for the upcoming PRT trainings are:

September 12-13: Charleston, West Virginia
Clean Cities Coalition host: Kelly Bragg

October 4-5: New Haven, Connecticut
Clean Cities Coalition host: Pete Polubiatko

November 1-2: Dallas, Texas
Clean Cities Coalition host: Pamela Burns

November 6-7: Seattle, Washington
Clean Cities Coalition host: Stephanie Meyn

November 14-15: Birmingham, Alabama
Clean Cities Coalition host: Mark Bentley

TBD: Whittier, California
Clean Cities Coalition host: Curtis Martin.

First responders in San Antonio learned about electric drive and alternative fuel vehicles during a two-day training that taught them how to respond to an accident scene involving these vehicles.

On May 1-2 at the San Antonio Fire Academy; the Alamo Natural Gas Vehicle Consortium, Alamo Area Council of Governments Clean Cities Coalition, Chesapeake Energy and CPS Energy hosted First Responder Safety Training developed by the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC), a program of West Virginia University.

Alamo Area Clean Cities partnered with the NAFTC to bring the First Responder Training event to San Antonio. Credit: NAFTC.

The alternative fuel and electric drive vehicle curricula are available thanks to two NAFTC grants – the Clean Cities Learning Program (CCLP), funded by the U.S. DOE Clean Cities Program , and the Advanced Electric Drive (AED) Vehicle Education Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project.

The First Responder Safety Training consisted of several modules focusing on hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery and fuel cell electric vehicles, as well as biofuels and biofuel vehicles, gaseous fuels and gaseous fuel vehicles and hydrogen and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Participants learned important information needed to safely respond to accidents involving advanced technology vehicles. These topics included key vehicle properties and characteristics, vehicle components, vehicle identification and recommended first responder procedures.

“Alternative fuel vehicles are the future of transportation,” said Chris Ashcraft, Alamo Area Clean Cities Coordinator. “These next generation vehicles will reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil and help keep our air clean.”

“Because alternative fuel vehicles are becoming more prevalent, first responders must understand the differences between these and conventional, gasoline-powered vehicles,” Ashcraft added. “Alternative fuel vehicles are as safe, if not safer than conventional vehicles, but they are different. This training provided first responders with important information to enhance their understanding of those differences.”

Ashcraft thanked the following organizations for providing vehicles for the training: Chesapeake Energy, CNG Chevy Tahoe; City of San Antonio, Toyota Prius; CPS Energy, Chevy Volt; and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, LPG Roush Ford F-250.

One of the unique characteristics of the NAFTC’s suite of First Responder Safety Training products is a quick reference guide (QRG) – a flipbook for emergency personnel to use at the scene of an accident. It details various makes and models of electric drive and alternative fuel vehicles, alerting first responders to such items as high-voltage cables, cut zones and other safety information. The QRG also is available as an app for mobile Apple and Android devices.

The First Responder Safety Training is open to firefighters, law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and hazardous response officials. More training sessions are planned for various locations throughout the nation. For more information, visit the NAFTC or First Responder Safety Training