MONROE - The nation's drive toward alternative fuels carries a danger many communities have been to slow to recognize: Ethanol fires are harder to put out than gasoline ones and require a special alcohol-resistant foam.
The problem is that water doesn't put out ethanol fires, and the foam that has been used since the 1960s to smother ordinary gasoline blazes doesn't work well against the grain-alcohol fuel.
But the Monroe Fire Department has had the special type of firefighting foam for at least six years, and the new foam replaces multiple stocks of other foams, according to Fire Chief Daryl Rausch.
Firefighters in Monroe and surrounding villages get practice using the foam at least once during their yearly training, Rausch said.
Many fire departments around the country don't have the foam, don't have enough of it, or are not well-trained in how to apply it, firefighting experts say. It is also more expensive than conventional foam.
"It is not unusual to find a fire department that is still just prepared to deal with traditional flammable liquids," said Ed Plaugher, director of national programs for the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
The Badger State Ethanol plant is on Monroe's west side, and the fire department could eventually have a station literally next door to the plant.
Industry officials said fire departments are becoming more knowledgeable about ethanol blazes and the special firefighting foam.
Monroe's department has 120 gallons of the liquid concentrate on hand. That will produce 48,000 gallons of foam. Each of its four trucks carries 15 gallons of the liquid, and Engine 6 carries the remaining 60 gallons.
"With MABAS, we have an unlimited resource that can be brought to bear," Rausch said.
MABAS, Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, is a mutual aid organization with firefighters and emergency rescue squads from 1,600 departments in six states ready to respond to calls for help in emergencies which overtax local fire/EMS and special operations.
The Badger Ethanol Plant is not Rausch's main concern.
"It's a very safe operation," Rausch said.
The plant was designed with "zones," each with automatic shutoff values.
"There is never more than 18 gallons in the pipes within the plant," Rausch said.
Gary Kramer, president and plant general manager, said the plant is made of concrete and steel and has its own fire suppression system. The distillation columns outdoors are under a vacuum system, and are designed to let air rush in, instead of fuel run out, should one become damaged.
"The largest hazard is the tank farm, but that is not different than any other petroleum tank farm," Rausch said.
Kramer said the Badger plant does not have the vast quantities of fuel found in most petroleum tank farms.
"Our goal is to maintain the integrity of the tank, and let it burn itself out," Rausch said.
To do that, Rausch said the outside of the tank would be cooled with water, to keep the tank from collapsing.
The real danger involves tanker trucks and railcars rolling out of the Corn Belt with huge quantities of 85 or 95 percent ethanol and carrying it to parts of the country unaccustomed to dealing with it. To help firefighters identify when high concentrations of ethanol are burning, the U.S. Transportation Department has approved a rule requiring signs on tanker trucks hauling fuel that is more than 10 percent ethanol.
Water is not used against gasoline fires, because it can spread the blaze and cause the flames to run down into drains and sewers. Instead, foam is used to form a blanket on top of the burning gasoline and snuff out of the flames. But ethanol - a type of grain alcohol often distilled from corn - eats through regular foam and continues to burn.
Such fires require a special alcohol-resistant foam that relies on long-chain molecules known as polymers to smother the flames. Industry officials say the special foam costs about 30 percent more than the standard product, at around $90 to $115 for a 5-gallon container.
The problem is that water doesn't put out ethanol fires, and the foam that has been used since the 1960s to smother ordinary gasoline blazes doesn't work well against the grain-alcohol fuel.
But the Monroe Fire Department has had the special type of firefighting foam for at least six years, and the new foam replaces multiple stocks of other foams, according to Fire Chief Daryl Rausch.
Firefighters in Monroe and surrounding villages get practice using the foam at least once during their yearly training, Rausch said.
Many fire departments around the country don't have the foam, don't have enough of it, or are not well-trained in how to apply it, firefighting experts say. It is also more expensive than conventional foam.
"It is not unusual to find a fire department that is still just prepared to deal with traditional flammable liquids," said Ed Plaugher, director of national programs for the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
The Badger State Ethanol plant is on Monroe's west side, and the fire department could eventually have a station literally next door to the plant.
Industry officials said fire departments are becoming more knowledgeable about ethanol blazes and the special firefighting foam.
Monroe's department has 120 gallons of the liquid concentrate on hand. That will produce 48,000 gallons of foam. Each of its four trucks carries 15 gallons of the liquid, and Engine 6 carries the remaining 60 gallons.
"With MABAS, we have an unlimited resource that can be brought to bear," Rausch said.
MABAS, Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, is a mutual aid organization with firefighters and emergency rescue squads from 1,600 departments in six states ready to respond to calls for help in emergencies which overtax local fire/EMS and special operations.
The Badger Ethanol Plant is not Rausch's main concern.
"It's a very safe operation," Rausch said.
The plant was designed with "zones," each with automatic shutoff values.
"There is never more than 18 gallons in the pipes within the plant," Rausch said.
Gary Kramer, president and plant general manager, said the plant is made of concrete and steel and has its own fire suppression system. The distillation columns outdoors are under a vacuum system, and are designed to let air rush in, instead of fuel run out, should one become damaged.
"The largest hazard is the tank farm, but that is not different than any other petroleum tank farm," Rausch said.
Kramer said the Badger plant does not have the vast quantities of fuel found in most petroleum tank farms.
"Our goal is to maintain the integrity of the tank, and let it burn itself out," Rausch said.
To do that, Rausch said the outside of the tank would be cooled with water, to keep the tank from collapsing.
The real danger involves tanker trucks and railcars rolling out of the Corn Belt with huge quantities of 85 or 95 percent ethanol and carrying it to parts of the country unaccustomed to dealing with it. To help firefighters identify when high concentrations of ethanol are burning, the U.S. Transportation Department has approved a rule requiring signs on tanker trucks hauling fuel that is more than 10 percent ethanol.
Water is not used against gasoline fires, because it can spread the blaze and cause the flames to run down into drains and sewers. Instead, foam is used to form a blanket on top of the burning gasoline and snuff out of the flames. But ethanol - a type of grain alcohol often distilled from corn - eats through regular foam and continues to burn.
Such fires require a special alcohol-resistant foam that relies on long-chain molecules known as polymers to smother the flames. Industry officials say the special foam costs about 30 percent more than the standard product, at around $90 to $115 for a 5-gallon container.