Safety Train Brings Emergency Preparedness Training to First Responders in Lansing, Michigan

Midland, MI, July 02, 2008 -- A safety train equipped with a classroom and training center on rails has rolled into Lansing to provide free railroad and chemical transportation training to local firefighters and other emergency response personnel. The Michigan TRANSCAER Training Tour, presented by The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), has brought chemical and rail industry professionals to several communities in Michigan to provide hands-on training, the training will begin Midland May 22 and conclude in Lansing July 2.

TRANSCAER, an acronym for Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response, is the voluntary national outreach consortium of chemical-related companies, carrier/transport companies and industry associations formed 22 years ago as part of a shared commitment to the safe and secure transportation of chemical materials.

“TRANSCAER is an important extension of our industries’ shared commitment to the security and safety of the many people and communities we touch,” said Rollie Shook, Emergency Services and Security, The Dow Chemical Company, and the incoming Chairman of the National TRANSCAER Task Group. “This program and the resources it makes available are intended to help safeguard the public by providing first responders with the information and training they need to effectively respond in the unlikely event of a chemical transportation incident.”

Emergency responders who register for the events will participate in a variety of classroom and simulated activities with five distinct modules, focused on railroad equipment training, hazardous material training and advanced training with interactive emergency response drills.

The Michigan tour follows the 2007 - 2008 TRANSCAER Training Tour, which trained more than 1,500 emergency responders in California, Texas and the Gulf Coast to Mideast region.

TRANSCAER is an integral part of Dow’s long-standing commitment to local protection of human health and the environment, one of the foundational tenets of Dow’s 2015 Sustainability Goals, announced in 2006.

“A focus on the security and safety of our sites, products, and communities – the places where we live and work – has always been deeply embedded in our company’s culture and our business processes,” said Shook. “TRANSCAER is simply one of many expressions of that commitment.”

Additional participants donating time and resources to the TRANSCAER Training Tour include the Firefighers Education and Training Foundation and CHEMTREC®, the Chemical Transportation Emergency Center. More information about the TRANSCAER Training Tour, including schedule, registration and training details, can be found at dow.com/transcaertours.

About TRANSCAER

TRANSCAER® (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response) is a voluntary national outreach effort that focuses on assisting communities to prepare for and respond to a possible hazardous material transportation incident. TRANSCAER® members consist of volunteer representatives from the chemical manufacturing, transportation, distributor, and emergency response industries, as well as the government. The 2008 training tour campaign is part of a long-term commitment by Dow and Union Pacific to provide improved community awareness and preparedness along chemical transportation routes, in coordination with national, regional and state TRANSCAER programs. More information about TRANSCAER can be found at transcaer.org.

About Dow

With annual sales of $54 billion and 46,000 employees worldwide, Dow is a diversified chemical company that combines the power of science and technology with the “ Human Element ” to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. The Company delivers a broad range of products and services to customers in around 160 countries, connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.

Source: Dow Chemical Company

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