NVFC Scores Major Victory With Removal of HazMat Provision
For Immediate Release October 26, 1998
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), in conjunction with other fire service organizations and numerous highway safety activists, scored a major victory this month with the removal of a dangerous hazardous materials provision from H.R. 4328, the Omnibus Appropriations bill.
The provision, advocated by the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA), would have exempted agricultural retailers in eight states from H.M. 200, the Department of Transportation's (DOT) regulations regarding hazardous materials transport. This exemption would have allowed agricultural retailers to transport hazardous materials intrastate without basic safety requirements such as placarding, proper labeling, and carrying emergency response telephone numbers and accurate shipping papers to identify onboard materials. The NVFC believes this provision would have endangered the safety of first responders and the communities they protect. "It is essential that first responders are cognizant of the materials they deal with in an emergency," said Fred G. Allinson, NVFC Chairman. "Otherwise, the outcomes of these incidents can be harmful, even deadly," continued Allinson.
"The DOT regulation is a common sense rule that never should have been attacked in the first place," said Jackie Gillan, Vice President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. "The only people seeking this exemption were agricultural retailers and for one reason only - to save money."
The NVFC has been actively fighting this provision since its inception. The NVFC has met with federal lawmakers, participated in press conferences, and orchestrated a letter writing campaign. Each time the ARA tried to insert this provision into a piece of legislation, the NVFC membership voiced their opposition. "This is just another example of what the fire service can accomplish when we work together," said Chairman Allinson.
The NVFC urges agricultural retailers to comply with H.M. 200 and for DOT to strictly enforce the rule in all states.
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), in conjunction with other fire service organizations and numerous highway safety activists, scored a major victory this month with the removal of a dangerous hazardous materials provision from H.R. 4328, the Omnibus Appropriations bill.
The provision, advocated by the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA), would have exempted agricultural retailers in eight states from H.M. 200, the Department of Transportation's (DOT) regulations regarding hazardous materials transport. This exemption would have allowed agricultural retailers to transport hazardous materials intrastate without basic safety requirements such as placarding, proper labeling, and carrying emergency response telephone numbers and accurate shipping papers to identify onboard materials. The NVFC believes this provision would have endangered the safety of first responders and the communities they protect. "It is essential that first responders are cognizant of the materials they deal with in an emergency," said Fred G. Allinson, NVFC Chairman. "Otherwise, the outcomes of these incidents can be harmful, even deadly," continued Allinson.
"The DOT regulation is a common sense rule that never should have been attacked in the first place," said Jackie Gillan, Vice President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. "The only people seeking this exemption were agricultural retailers and for one reason only - to save money."
The NVFC has been actively fighting this provision since its inception. The NVFC has met with federal lawmakers, participated in press conferences, and orchestrated a letter writing campaign. Each time the ARA tried to insert this provision into a piece of legislation, the NVFC membership voiced their opposition. "This is just another example of what the fire service can accomplish when we work together," said Chairman Allinson.
The NVFC urges agricultural retailers to comply with H.M. 200 and for DOT to strictly enforce the rule in all states.
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