# GREEN TEAM
April 2020
WHY
US
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Trusted Smoke School
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We Stay Until You Pass
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One-on-One Training
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Competitive Pricing
Leader
In
Visible Emission Training
200 +
Annual Events
30 +
Years/Experience
On-Site
Training
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Stress Free
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Never Lapse Certification
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Affordable Cost
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We Come To You
What items to bring?
Pen
We supply pens. If you want to bring your own, feel free too.
Chair
We supply chairs. If you want to bring your own, feel free too.
Umbrella
Most schools will have a pavilion. If rain is expected. Please bring a umbrella, just in case.
Proper Clothing
We train early in the morning and in most weather conditions. Please dress accordingly.
No Stress
We are going to prepare you by calibrating your eyes to read visible emissions!
We will practice.
We will stay until you pass!
WHAT IS SMOKE SCHOOL?
How to choose a Smoke School?
You need a smoke school provider who follows the requirements of 40 CFR 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 Green Smoke School.
Do I need Smoke School?
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.
When do I need Re-certified?
Every SIX months you need to recertify to stay in compliance
months
Smoke School Day consist of?
In most cases Whitlow Green conducts most of our training in one day, except in Texas because of the unique smoke school requirements. 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.
Certification valid in other states?
Your certification is valid in all states regardless of where it was obtained.
What is Opacity?
According to Wikipedia, “Opacity is the measure of impenetrability to electromagnetic or other kinds of radiation, especially visible light.” In Whitlow Green'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.
Can I certify in Method 22?
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 Green Smoke School will issue a certificate for attending the Lecture.
Observation evaluation
out of compliance?
(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
How long does smoke school last?
If you pass on the first run, you should be completed within 1/2 day. Most of our smoke schools start at 9:00 a.m. and are completed by 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on the same day. We will continue running tests until everyone has certified or light conditions are no longer favorable. We stay until you pass!
When do I receive my certificates?
Please allow three weeks for your certificates to come in. Most of the time we can have your certificates sent to you much sooner than three weeks. All certificates are emailed electronically to the person that is listed as the primary contact on the registration form. If you would like a hardcopy of your certification please contact us.
How do I schedule a Smoke School?
If you are needing to schedule a private school just contact us to set up a date and time. If you have people in or around your area that are needing a school please contact us and we will do our best to create a school location near you! We love to add new places to our schedules!
