Whitlow Smoke School
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Presented by the Smoke
Commander
·
How do I choose a smoke school provider?
ANSWER: You need a smoke
school provider who follows the requirements of 40 CRR 60 and are audited by the
EPA, state and local environmental agencies.
You also need a training provider that understands the importance of
friendly customer service, such as we do at Whitlow Smoke School.
·
What sets Whitlow apart from other smoke school providers?
ANSWER:
CUSTOMER SERVICE!
Whitlow smoke schools start long before anyone arrives at the site.
We use compasses and weather radios to set up the optimum conditions for
reading opacity. We choose locations
that are convenient and conducive to reading opacity.
We find locations that provide the following:
trees for contrasting background to read smoke on cloudy days, shade,
shelter from the elements and clean restrooms.
We want you to be
comfortable so we bring a positive attitude, coffee, water, food and a few extra
chairs. We provide all of the test
papers, pens, and extra clipboards.
We relieve the stress by providing a little friendly competition and awarding
prizes. We tell comical stories that
help lessen the stress level. We
give test takers the proper time to complete the test.
Remember the person who
administers the test holds all of the keys to how hard the test is.
You will never find a Whitlow crew with a negative attitude, not doing
our homework, not realizing that the test is stressful, giving incomplete or
inaccurate instructions, rushing the test, calibrating improperly, not checking
the zero drift, generating black smoke from a firebox that does not have a pilot
light, using confusing answer sheets, or rushing while calling out the correct
answers.
We train our employees to
avoid these errors. If you notice a
discrepancy during your training, we encourage you to stop the training and
discuss the matter. We also welcome
suggestions on your critique sheet.
If you notice one of our employees not living up to the Whitlow reputation, tell
them and let me know
smokeschool@yahoo.com!
·
Why does Whitlow Enterprises offer a one-day school?
ANSWER:
Our mission is to teach you everything that you need to know to evaluate
compliance and evaluate opacity in real world conditions.
I realize that your best shot and your only shot at becoming an opacity
expert is at smoke school. This is
your chance to learn how to do it correctly and to know that you are doing it
correctly. We take this
responsibility seriously. We want
smoke school to become second nature to you.
The best way to accomplish this and not waste your valuable time is to
complete the school in one day.
·
Where can I find the EPA Guidelines for Visual Opacity?
·
Why is smoke school needed?
ANSWER:
Search your permit for opacity, visible emissions, EPA Method 9, and EPA Method
22. If you find these terms then you are required to attend smoke school. Your
permit will inform you of potential sources, allowed opacity, and frequency of
opacity readings. Federal and state employees are required to evaluate
opacity as a part of an inspection to determine compliance with air quality
permits and regulations. If your
company is concerned about clean air and pollution control, you need to be
trained. If you are concerned about
state or federal inspectors seeing your smokestack, then you need to be trained.
If you are concerned about issues such as job security, environmental
complaints to the state inspectors, class action lawsuits, then you need to be
certified.
·
How can I request a brochure from Whitlow Enterprises?
ANSWER: You may
contact us. For requesting a brochure, we will
send you a box of chocolates made especially for you by Charlie’s Candy (www.charliescandy.com) . Just let us know your
name, your company’s name, mailing address, telephone number, your current smoke
school provider, and a brief description of your requirements to use EPA Method
9.
·
How often should I take smoke school field training?
ANSWER: Every six
months
·
Who needs classroom and how often do I need the classroom?
ANSWER:
Anyone who has never been certified for Method 9 should take the
classroom. It is recommended that
everyone take a refresher classroom course every 3 years.
·
What does Smoke School Consist of?
ANSWER:
In most cases Whitlow conducts most of our training in one day, except in
Texas because of the unique smoke school requirements.
Everyone reports at 8:00 am.
Before testing begins, we have a mini-lecture to teach the basic fundamentals of
how to take the smoke school test and how to reach opacity in the field.
Next we teach you the basic fundamentals of how to take the smoke school
certification test. We then show you
how to read opacity. After this, a
smoke school practice test is given.
Then we evaluate your performance.
After all of the instructions and practice, we then present the smoke school
opacity certification test. We grade
the field test on site and you know if you passed the test.
Once passing the test, you are free to leave or you can attend the
classroom. Don’t forget, we offer a
free lunch!
·
What is the secret to passing the smoke school test on the first run?
ANSWER: Choosing
the
right smoke school provider! Whitlow
smoke schools follow the requirements of 40 CRR 60.
Whitlow training has been tested by
court.
·
Will Whitlow Smoke School’s training
and certificates stand up in court?
ANSWER:
Yes, Whitlow training has been tested by court.
Click here to learn more.
·
What is opacity?
ANSWER:
According to Wikipedia, “Opacity is the measure of impenetrability to
electromagnetic or other kinds of radiation, especially visible light.”
In Whitlow’s simplified version, “Opacity is the term used to refer to
the blockage of light.” Visible emissions opacity refers to the amount of
sunlight blocked by smoke or dust between the observer’s eyeball and the
contracting background on the opposite side of the plume.
·
How many people should be certified at my plant?
ANSWER:
We strongly recommend that you maintain a staff of certified evaluators
to read the opacity of each source at least once during every daylight shift. A
small plant should have at least 4 certified evaluators. You should consider
training your environmental staff as well as safety, operators, and security.
·
What items should I keep on hand for reading opacity at my plant?
ANSWER:
You should maintain the following smoke school items and keep them
readily available for reading opacity:
clip board, 2 ink pens, compass, weather radio,
golf scope range finder for measuring distances,
Method 9 Forms,
Instructions for Method 9 Forms,
Ringelmann/Opacity Smoke Chart,
and a
Boudreaux Level. This is critical
if you need to conduct an evaluation due to a citizen complaint or due to the
arrival of an inspector. If an
inspector conducts evaluations at your plant, then you should send a certified
opacity evaluator with the inspector to conduct joint opacity readings.
·
How should I prepare for a state or federal visible emissions evaluation and
inspection?
·
How do I complete a log book for visible emissions compliance?
·
How do I get certified for Method 22?
ANSWER: EPA
requires attendance in a setting such as the EPA Reference Method 9 Classroom
Lecture to become familiar with the terminology and the principals of opacity.
Certificates for Method 22 are not required. Whitlow Enterprises will issue a
certificate for attending the Lecture.
·
Where can I get a copy of EPA Method 9?
·
Where can I find instructions and a form for EPA Method 22?
·
What are the basic fundamentals of reading opacity in the field?
ANSWER:
(1) Choose an observation
position—sun to your back; winds blowing perpendicular to your line of view
(from left to right—not coming at you or going away from you); get back at least
3 stack heights to obtain a vertical angle of 18 degrees or less; use a
Boudreaux Level
to determine your vertical angle; choose an observation position that allows a
contrasting background (you can not read white smoke with white clouds in the
background, nor black smoke with black clouds in the background); and use a
Ringelmann Smoke Chart. (2)
Choose the correct observation point—the densest part of the plume; no
steam at the tip of the smokestack before the plume spreads; attached steam
touching the smokestack, observing at the end of the steam plume the densest
part of the plume after the steam ends or evaporates; and detached steam not
touching the smokestack needs to be read before the steam starts or after the
steam ends (3) Recording
observations—Opacity observations shall be recorded to the nearest 5 percent at
15 second intervals on an observational record sheet—record at least 24
observations which each represents the average opacity of emissions for a 15
second period (4) Data
reduction—Divide the observations
recorded on the
on the record sheet into sets of 24 consecutive observations (a set is 24
observations and need not be consecutive in time and in no case shall two sets
overlap) then calculate the average summing the opacity of the 24 observations
and dividing the sum by 24 and record the average opacity on a record sheet.
·
What do I do if my observation evaluation is out of compliance?
ANSWER: (1) Notify
your operator and plant manager immediately
(2) Get permission to shut down the process and fix the problem
(3) Conduct another evaluation after the
problem is corrected
·
What are the consequences if industrial plant environmental staff fails to
follow basic opacity fundamentals?
·
Where can I find links to regulations and websites for every state environmental
department?
·
How can I subscribe to receive email updates about all changes to EPA
Regulations and comments?
·
Where can I find proposed and final EPA rules?
·
How do I register for Smoke School?
·
Does Whitlow Enterprises offer discounts if I send multiple employees from my
plant?
ANSWER:
If you send:
5 – 9 attendees:
5% discount
10 – 19 attendees:
10% discount
20 attendees or more: 20% discount
·
If my company has never used Whitlow Smoke School before, do we qualify for a
discount?
ANSWER:
Yes, new companies will receive a 10 percent discount for attendees.
·
What are the standard fees for Whitlow Smoke School?
·
What should I bring to smoke school?
·
Can my family attend smoke school with me?
ANSWER:
Yes, immediate family members are welcome!
They are free of charge unless they require visible emissions training
for employment purposes. If the
school is hosted by a plant, please check before bringing family members.
They may have insurance restrictions.
·
How long does smoke school last?
ANSWER: Most
Whitlow Smoke Schools are conducted in a one day training (Texas requires two
days for classroom and field).
You can take the field-test and
attend the classroom in a single day. If you just need the field-test, you
should be finished in one and one half hours after we start the actual
certification test. Most people pass
the test on the first run or at least during the morning session.
·
What should I do if I am late, lost or need to change my date for smoke school?
ANSWER:
Contact us and we
will notify the crew chief.
·
When do I receive my certificates?
ANSWER:
Within three weeks of the school date you should receive your
certificate(s)
·
How long are the smoke school certificates valid?
ANSWER: Classroom
Certificates: These certificates are
valid indefinitely. Most states follow the EPA guidelines and recommend the
classroom every three years. A few states require the classroom every third
year. Please check your
state environmental agency
to see how often you are required to take the classroom.
Field Training
Certificates:
These certificates are valid for 6 months after the certification date--
the date you took the smoke school test. We mail out these certificates within 3
weeks after you pass the test- even if your invoice has not been paid.
Please
contact us if you have not received your certificates within the above
stated timeline.
·
Are Whitlow Smoke School certificates valid in all of the United States and its
territories?
ANSWER:
Yes, Whitlow Enterprises’ Smoke School EPA Methods 9 and 22 visible
emissions opacity certification programs follow EPA guidelines in accordance
with 40 CFR 60 Appendix A . The last
time I checked, the EPA has authority over all of the United States and its
territories.
·
Does Whitlow Enterprises provide smoke school locations in Texas?
ANSWER:
Yes, TCEQ has approved Whitlow Enterprises to provide smoke school
training for both 1 and 2 day sessions according to
Title 30, Texas Administrative
Code.
Visit our
schedule
or locations page to view
Texas smoke school locations.
·
How do I schedule a smoke school at or near my plant?
·
Can we get Whitlow Enterprises to schedule smoke schools for all of our company
plants in the nation or region?
·
Will Whitlow Smoke School conduct training for my state or federal agency?
ANSWER: Yes,
contact us!
We will match any fees you are presently paying for smoke school!
·
Will Whitlow Enterprises come to our plant and read opacity?
ANSWER: Yes, we certainly will. contact us!
·
Will Whitlow Enterprises conduct an audit of our visible emissions documentation
for compliance with regulations?
·
Can I earn a discount for referring friends from other plants or companies to a
Whitlow Smoke School?
·
Can our company receive government reimbursement of smoke school fees?
ANSWER:
There are usually 2 agencies in your state that offer government
reimbursement of your training expenses for smoke school, hazmat and other
training:
(1)
Almost any vocational or technical college in your state:
1.
Search Google for these colleges in your state
2.
Search their web page for training reimbursement
3.
Call the college and ask about training reimbursement
(2)
Government Grants-Reimbursement
for smoke school and all training fees-Incumbent Worker Training Program
(IWPT )
·
How do I get on the mailing list to receive announcements for Smoke School?
·
Will George make public speaking engagements for my group?
ANSWER: Yes contact us
Whitlow Home Page Index
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Instructions for Method 9 Form