Preparing our communities for disasters and emergencies is essential for minimizing loss and ensuring swift recovery. Transportation services are a crucial aspect of emergency planning and petroleum is often in short supply when a disaster strikes. The Initiative for Resiliency in Energy through Vehicles (iREV) is addressing the challenge of these disruptions by developing resources for emergency planners to help communities integrate alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) into their fleets. Diversifying emergency response fleets, by incorporating AFVs, can help communities better prepare for disasters by removing their dependence on petroleum. This initiative, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Program and led by the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), promotes this resiliency strategy through case studies, tools, workshops, and policy and planning toolkits.

iREV released several case studies conducted by NASEO that detail the challenges and advantages of incorporating alternative fuel types into emergency fleets. Each case study provides an overview, resources, and several examples on each of the four alternative fuel types used in this project – propane, electric, natural gas, and biodiesel. NASEO is in the process of developing the online iREV Tracking Tool to help emergency planners access the data necessary to understand the costs and benefits associated with different AFVs.

Your region can get involved in this initiative by attending one of the many workshops that will be held around the country. The next workshop takes place in Savannah, Georgia on October 19. Stay tuned for more information regarding workshops and tools. There will also be a webinar for NARC members to learn more about this program.

Please contact Cassie Powers (cpowers@naseo.org) with questions.