tr – naftc

St. Louis and Chicago Host Summer Clean Cities First Responder Sessions August 2012

Deimos — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 18:37:25 +0000

St. Louis and Chicago Host Summer Clean Cities First Responder Sessions August 2012

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. DOE Clean Cities Program, and the Advanced Electric Drive (AED) Vehicle Education Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (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 has contracted instructor and fire safety expert, Gary Garissi to run each of 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.

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 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 Clean Cities Chicago 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 Clean Cities event. Credit: Samantha Bingham, Chicago Area Clean Cities Coalition.

This was the first time the Clean Cities Chicago coalition worked with first responders in the area. Due to the success of this summer’s event, additional training programs are being planned. Clean Cities Chicago 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.”

NAFTC Launches Its First High School Advanced Electric Drive Vehicle Curriculum August 2012

Deimos — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 17:52:21 +0000

NAFTC Launches Its First High School Advanced Electric Drive Vehicle Curriculum August 2012

America’s high schools have offered specialized automotive training for generations of technicians who then kept family cars and business vehicles humming on the highways. But, the evolution of transportation in the 21^st Century is bringing a whole new kind of alternative fuel automobile into service bays across the nation and a whole new set of challenges to men and women preparing to keep those cars on the road. The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium is on a mission to properly introduce these new advanced electric drive vehicles to the people who will service them right where automotive education begins – in the nation’s high schools. The NAFTC introduced its first high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum in its own backyard of Morgantown, WV when 15 West Virginia high school teachers from around the state participated in a week-long Advanced Electric Drive Vehicle Education Program training. The training is funded through a U.S. Department of Energy award and is geared to introduce high school CTE automotive students to advanced electric drive vehicles.

Teachers begin work on the NAFTC’s Toyota Prius models in the automobile lab at NAFTC headquarters. Source: NAFTC.

“It’s extremely important that we begin this education at the high school level,” NAFTC Executive Director Al Ebron said. “There are a lot of opportunities for young people if we get them early – there are a lot of paths for them to choose from in the alternative fuel field.” The CTE course is also being taught at the J. Harley Bonds Career Center in Greer, South Carolina. In all during this academic year, ten pilot programs of the curriculum will be introduced in high schools in West Virginia and South Carolina. The course focuses on four types of electric drive vehicles: battery electric, plug-in electric, hybrid electric, and fuel-cell electric. The NAFTC selected Perfect Sky founder Jack Rosebro to teach the course. Rosebro’s Perfect Sky company develops and delivers technical training for hybrid, electric, and other innovative vehicle technologies in North America, Europe, and Asia. After each section in the classroom, the instructors are taken into the NAFTC’s onsite automobile lab and conduct various hands-on activities with the equipment and vehicles.

Wheeling Park high school teacher Dwayne Bennett works inside of an NAFTC Prius. Source: NAFTC.

Jeff Hardy, a teacher at the John D. Rockefeller IV Career Center in New Cumberland, WV, discussed his favorite aspects of the program. “The instructor getting us out here in the shop and letting us take out the battery pack, dissemble one from a vehicle and taking these motor generators apart, all of the ‘hands-on’ stuff was very helpful,” Hardy explained. “We sound like our kids but that’s the part of the program they like, and it is a valuable way of learning.” Wheeling Park teacher Dwayne Bennett described the sessions as a very valuable learning experience. “The most exciting part for me was learning about the safety,” Bennett said. “Before this week I was fairly scared of them (electric cars) because I’d heard things like if you touch the wrong wire you can get electrocuted. After learning the safety features, I feel real comfortable that I can take my kids around these and show them different things. I’m not worried about it now.” To further the secondary school educational opportunities, the NAFTC sent staff and equipment, including its in-house Toyota Prius and its hybrid electric vehicle training educator, known as HEVTE to South Carolina for another week of training. HEVTE is a fully functional Prius hybrid vehicle featuring a cutaway that shows the intricacies of the vehicle and how it works. “The thing that our instructor made interesting is he never told us any answers,” said the West Virginia Department of Education’s Coordinator of Engineering and Technical Education Paul Lovett. “So, it led to the discovery – everything was discovery and everything was new to us.”

Teachers discuss modules of AED training in the classroom at NAFTC headquarters. Source: NAFTC

The CTE program received support from the West Virginia and South Carolina Departments of Education. Gene Coulson, the executive director of the Office of Career and Technical Innovation for West Virginia’s Department of Education, endorsed state teachers’ participation in the program and introduced the pilot program for the upcoming school year. In South Carolina, the NAFTC worked with Benjamin T. Martin, an education associate for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program in the South Carolina Department of Education. After this year’s pilot efforts, the NAFTC will make adjustments to the curriculum based upon its findings and participant recommendations, and then the high school program will become available nationwide. NAFTC Pilot Schools for the 2012-2013 Academic Year.

Preston County High School, Preston WV.

Putnam Career and Technical Center, Eleanor, WV.

Mercer County Career and Technical Education Center, Princeton, WV.

Nicholas County Career/Technical Center, Craigsville, WV.

James Rumsey Technical Institute, Martinsburg, WV.

Anderson V Career Campus, Anderson, SC.

J Harley Bonds Career Center, Greer SC.

Pickens County Career and Technology Center, Liberty, SC.

Golden Strip Career Center, Greenville, SC.

H.B. Swofford Career Center, Inman, SC.

NAFTC Presents First Responder Training in San Antonio July 2012

Deimos — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 15:01:11 +0000

NAFTC Presents First Responder Training in San Antonio July 2012

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.

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 www.naftc.wvu.edu or www.afvsafetytraining.com.

NAFTC Showcases First Responder Safety Training Materials at FDIC June 2012

Deimos — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 15:49:29 +0000

NAFTC Showcases First Responder Safety Training Materials at FDIC June 2012

The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) showcased its alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicle training April 16-21 at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC), the firefighting industry’s premier conference and exhibition. Every year the FDIC gathers decision makers, trainers, experts, manufacturers and suppliers to experience the best in service education and technology. Nearly 30,000 attendees filled the exhibit halls, classrooms and training sites at this year’s conference. The NAFTC display featured the organization’s First Responders Safety Training materials, which includes training on biofuels, gaseous fuels, hydrogen and electric drive and a suite of modern technology products.

The quick reference guide (QRG), a durable flipbook for emergency personnel to use at the scene of an accident, is also available as a free app on the iPhone, iPad, and Android platform. Credit: National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium

Event attendees were able to interact with “HEVTE,” the NAFTC’s hybrid electric vehicle training educator. A heavily modified, third generation, fully functional Toyota Prius, the HEVTE is a training tool with a cutaway that allowed first responders and other FDIC attendees to easily and safely interact with labeled hybrid electric drive vehicle components by scanning electronic QR codes. “HEVTE is the NAFTC’s newest training tool in our quest to educate the nation about the benefits of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles,” said NAFTC Executive Director Al Ebron. “The technology that first responders are seeing when responding to vehicle accidents has continued to evolve and improve, and the NAFTC is committed to making sure our curricula and training programs are on the cutting edge as well.” The NAFTC’s First Responder Safety Training covers hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery and fuel cell electric vehicles as well as those powered by biofuels, gaseous fuels and hydrogen. The curricula include instructor manuals, participant manuals, workshop booklets, a quick reference guide (QRG) and online training (for Electric Drive only). The QRG, a durable flipbook for emergency personnel to use at the scene of an accident, is also available as a free app on the iPhone and the iPad, with a recent release on the Android platform. The hard copy and mobile versions of the guide detail various makes and models of alternative fuel and electric drive vehicles, alerting first responders to such items as high-voltage cables, cut zones and other safety information. The First Responder Safety Training workshops teach emergency personnel what they need to know about alternative fuel and electric drive vehicles and how to respond to an accident scene. Topics include key vehicle properties and characteristics, vehicle components, vehicle identification and recommended first responder procedures. “Alternative fuel and electric drive vehicles reduce our nation’s dependence on oil and keep our air cleaner,” Ebron said. “Because more consumers are realizing the benefits of these next generation vehicles and purchasing them for their personal transportation use, first responders must understand the differences between these and conventional, gasoline-powered vehicles. “Alternative fuel and electric drive vehicles are as safe as conventional vehicles, but they are different. The First Responder Safety Training provides first responders with important information to enhance their understanding of those differences.” The First Responder Safety Training’s target audiences include firefighters, law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and hazardous response officials. The curricula are components of two NAFTC programs—the Advanced Electric Drive Vehicle Education Program and the Clean Cities Learning Program, both funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy.

NAFTC Adds Android Smartphones App to First Responder Safety Training Materials June 2012

Deimos — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 15:34:05 +0000

NAFTC Adds Android Smartphones App to First Responder Safety Training Materials June 2012

Despite their demonstrated safety and efficiency, the new electric drive and alternative fuel vehicles that are becoming more common on America’s highways will inevitably be involved in highway accidents. When first responders are called to help, “there’s an app for that” thanks to experts at the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC). “We’ve created a suite of modern technology products that puts the knowledge about specific electric drive and alternative fuel vehicles at the fingertips of the nation’s first responders,” said Al Ebron, NAFTC executive director. The Android app, (also available as an iPhone app, pictured above,) offers first responders a digital version of the NAFTC’s First Responder Safety Training quick reference guide. Credit: National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC). The NAFTC developed a free smartphone app — known in the iPhone and Google Play app stores as ”QRG,” which stands for quick reference guide — for first responders who need to access information about electric drive and alternative fuel vehicles at accident scenes. The app contains vehicle-specific information on electric drive vehicles such as hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery and fuel cell electric vehicles as well as vehicles powered by alternative fuels like biodiesel, natural gas and propane. The Android app was released in April, while the iPhone and iPad friendly version was released in December. A hard copy version of the QRG is available as a durable 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 and cut zones. This version of the QRG is available for a nominal cost. The app is part of the NAFTC’s First Responder Safety Training curricula targeting firefighters, law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and hazardous response officials. The entire suite of products includes:

Instructor manuals
Participant manuals
Workshop booklets
A Quick reference guide
Mobile device apps
Online training (for Electric Drive only)

Visit www.afvsafetytraining.com for more information on the NAFTC’s first responder safety training programs. Note: Android will be included

AED First Responder Safety Training Classes Occur Across U.S. February 2012

Deimos — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:00:57 +0000

AED First Responder Safety Training Classes Occur Across U.S. February 2012

First responders across the country have been busy learning about advanced electric drive vehicles thanks to a National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) training that teaches them how to respond to an accident scene involving these vehicles. During January and February, five NAFTC National Training Centers offered Electric Drive Vehicle First Responder Safety Training, a curriculum developed as part of the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Electric Drive Vehicle Education Program. They included Community College of Baltimore County, Jan. 19; Seminole State College of Florida, Jan. 20; Ivy Tech Community College, Lafayette Campus, Jan. 28; Peninsula College, Feb. 4; and Wenatchee Valley College, Feb. 18. The First Responder Safety Training consists of four modules titled Hybrid Electric Vehicles, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles, Battery Electric Vehicles and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles. Participants learn important information needed to safely respond to accidents involving advanced technology vehicles. These topics include key vehicle properties and characteristics, vehicle components, vehicle identification and recommended first responder procedures. “Participants were very interested to learn and see the location of the components, battery packs and various routings of the high-voltage cables,” said Eric Erskin, Automotive Technology program chair and assistant professor at Ivy Tech – Lafayette. “Participants were extremely eager to have and use the QRGs and have lab time to locate the high-voltage components on the vehicles that we had on display for them to work with.”

Participants in Ivy Tech’s First Responder Safety Training check out various advanced electric drive vehicles during the workshop Jan. 28. Credit: Ivy Tech – Lafayette

The vehicles Ivy Tech had available were a Chevy Volt, a Chevy Silverado Hybrid and two Toyota Prius models, one of which was converted to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Two battery electric vehicle (BEV) conversions also were used, along with the school’s BEV go-karts. Not only is the curriculum teaching first responders how advanced electric drive will reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil and help keep our air clean, but it is also providing them with important information to enhance their understanding of the differences between electric drive vehicles and conventional, gasoline-powered vehicles. “This is an awesome class loaded with up-to-date information,” said Clallum County, Wash., Fire District 2 Captain Mike DeRousie, who attended Peninsula College’s course. “All firefighters and law enforcement officers should take this class.”

Captain Mike DeRousie of Clallum County, Wash., Fire District 2, sits in the driver’s seat of an all-electric Nissan LEAF while Peninsula College Automotive Technology Program Coordinator Mike Hansen, center, offers hands-on instruction during the Electric Drive Vehicle First Responder Safety Training at the college Feb. 4. Credit: Peninsula College

One of the unique characteristics of the First Responder Safety Training 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 vehicles, alerting first responders to such items as high-voltage cables, cut zones and other safety information. The QRG also is available as a mobile app for Apple devices and will soon be available on the Android platform. The First Responder Safety Training is open to firefighters, law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and hazardous response officials.