Hydrogen Safety Outreach: Lessons Learned
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by Patrick Serfass
Technical Coordinator, National Hydrogen Association

At the recent NHA-CaFCP workshop in Diamond Bar, CA, emergency responders and safety officials told the NHA what  information they need next and how they want it.

On September 16, 2004, the National Hydrogen Association and the California Fuel Cell Partnership teamed together to create "Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Vehicles in Your Neighborhood: A Southern California Community Workshop."  The workshop, free to attendees, targeted emergency responders, safety officials, public servants and others with “Hydrogen 101” type hydrogen and fuel cell information in the morning, and technical subjects in breakout groups in the afternoon. Those sessions covered emergency response training and hydrogen station permitting experiences.  During lunch, attendees had an opportunity to get behind the wheels of the latest suite of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles from DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota and Volkswagen in conjunction with the CaFCP’s Road Rally and experience vehicle fills at the new hydrogen station on site.

Of almost 100 attendees, emergency responders comprised 25% and another quarter included city and regional planners, code officials and public works representatives.  The balance was comprised of community and industry representatives and "others." The evaluations they completed after the workshop gave valuable insight for future hydrogen outreach efforts.

In their evaluation responses, most asked for more information and workshops.  "More workshops and more often," requested one attendee.  Considering that the same respondents ranked the presentations at 8 out of 10 and all said the content was useful, the request for more hydrogen information stands out clearly.  Attendees requested information on a variety of topics showing that these audiences need information in all sectors; however, technical information like "fire suppression operations," "details concerning hydrogen generation and delivery systems," and tools describing code development and permitting processes were the most abundant.  Not surprisingly, emergency responders also specifically wanted handouts describing emergency response practices for stations and vehicles.

 In the latter part of the workshop, an informal afternoon poll showed that almost every emergency responder attended the workshop because they need to evaluate and approve hydrogen installations in their jurisdiction today.  With more and more hydrogen projects announced each month, this result underscores the need to educate and familiarize local officials before planned projects become a reality. 

With support from a grant with the U.S. Department of Energy, the NHA currently holds at least two workshops focused on safety, codes and standards each year.  If you have a need for a workshop in your region, please contact us at  info@HydrogenAssociation.org. ©2005. All Rights Reserved. A Publication of the National Hydrogen Association.
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