The State Fire Academy is taking its school on the road, beginning with a training course next month on how to respond to ethanol incidents.

State Fire Commissioner Ed Mann said the International Association of Fire Chiefs already had a program available and, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, assisted with the training the instructors, so that the program would be available in March to all 67 counties.

"Responding to Ethanol Incidents is an eight-hour course that covers issues including transportation, storage, dispensing and firefighting foam principles for ethanol-blended fuels," said Mann.

Instructors, course materials and certificates will be issued by the Fire Academy at no cost to the local sponsoring agency. The local agency will be responsible for providing a suitable classroom with tables and chairs for a maximum of 40 people.

Ethanol is added to gasoline to reduce tailpipe emissions of carbon monoxide. Its use is growing and expected to increase substantially in coming years, according to the Fire Chiefs association.

"Ethanol presents some challenges to firefighters where traditional means of fighting a gasoline fire are ineffective. It can also be encountered in different blends, so it is important that firefighters know what they are facing,'' Mann said.