CHICAGO, March 15, 2022 – The Chicago Area Clean Cities Coalition and the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) are teaming up to offer emergency response training to firefighters throughout Illinois with the delivery of a new Alternative Fuel Vehicle course.
The first training session will be offered in Dieterich, Illinois on Thursday, March 24. The second session will be conducted on Tuesday, May 3 in Naperville, Illinois.
Topics covered in the emergency response course include hybrid or electric-driven vehicles, alternative-fuel systems, dangerous drive-train components, hazardous mechanical and hydraulic systems.
“Firefighters across the country face challenges daily. One of the emerging issues is alternative-fuel vehicles. The Illinois Fire Service Institute is committed to our mission of helping firefighters do their work through training, education, information, and research,” said IFSI Director, Chief Jim Keiken. “To address this, we have recently updated our Alternative Fuel Vehicles curriculum to include the current science and techniques that support firefighters’ response to these situations.”
The course also will address rescue challenges associated with air bags and their deployment and detonation systems, pre-tension systems and other passive restraint devices throughout the passenger compartments. Methods of construction, vehicle body components and their materials of construction offer challenges not found at accident scenes in the past. The course is a recommended follow-up class to the IFSI Basic Auto Extrication course.
Students interested in registering for the classes may register online at: fsi.illinois.edu.
Those attending on May 3 will have an opportunity to see up to 40 alternative fuel and electric vehicles that will be on display at Chicago Area Clean Cities’ Green Drives Conference & Expo, the largest and longest-running sustainable transportation conference held in the Midwest.
The second training session is being held at the same location as Green Drives, at the Northern Illinois University Conference Center in Naperville.
Thanks to this partnership, this elite and relevant training opportunity is available at no cost to Illinois students or fire departments.
The Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) is the statutory State Fire Academy for Illinois. It serves as the oldest continuous fire training institution in the United States. Since 1925, first responders from across the state and world have relied on IFSI to deliver hands-on, innovative, and top-quality training, education, and research.
Each year, IFSI reaches approximately 40,000 students by delivering over 1,600 courses. Our Firefighting, Special Operations, and Leadership and Command Programs sit at the forefront of national training standards. IFSI maintains accreditation with the National Board of Fire Service Professional Qualifications (Pro Board) and the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) to consistently offer the highest quality and portable training and education.
Chicago Area Clean Cities, a nonprofit coalition focused on promoting clean transportation in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, has been working with commercial and government fleets for nearly 30 years to help them transition to sustainable transportation. The coalition’s membership is comprised of federal, state, and local governments, corporations, small businesses, and individuals. These stakeholders come together to share information and resources, educate the public, help craft public policy, and collaborate on projects that reduce petroleum use.
The Chicago coalition is one of more than 75 coalitions across the country affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program, which brings together stakeholders to increase the use of alternative fuel and advanced-vehicle technologies, reduce idling, and improve fuel economy and air quality. The coalition concentrates its efforts on educating businesses and municipalities in the six-county Chicago region, including Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties.
To become involved in Clean Cities, visit chicagocleancities.org.
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