Workshops will be set up by the NFPA team using the information provided to them by East TN Clean Fuels after the event is added to the registration page.

The Zoom will be held using NFPA’s business profile and will be controlled by NFPA unless otherwise requested by the Coalition on the day of the workshop. We recommend Coalitions request “Host” privileges during the workshop in order to control slideshows and other multimedia activities.

The Zoom link for the event will be provided to the hosting Coalition along with the attendees of the workshop.

This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in order to help various communities prepare for the transition to electric vehicles.

There are multiple elements to this project including both the workshop portion will take place from mid-2022 through the end of 2023 and a video production portion. The videos for this project will serve as the “Pre-Workshop Learning” courses and will later serve as a resource for various industries to learn and prepare for electrification.

To learn more about the project, contact NFPA Emerging Issues Program Manager Mike Gorin at MGorin@nfpa.org.

Yes, as of May 2022, all of the workshops held for the duration of this project have to be held using a virtual format. This decision was made at the onset of this project in 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic was still a major issue. If changes are made and workshops are allowed to be held in person, we will contact all participating Coalitions with that update.

After a Coalition hosts its workshop, there are a few things the East TN Clean Fuels and NFPA teams will need before the project is completed.

1. Signed contract to ETCF to receive a $1,000 stipend for project participation
2. Feedback on the workshop process, materials, marketing, etc.
3. Short write-up about your Coalition’s workshop and experience for ReadyforEVs.com

You will be contacted after your workshop with details about all of these materials!

Attendees should leave your Coalition’s workshop with several takeaways, including a better understanding of electrification and how the current and future landscape will play a part in their community.

Other takeaways include:

• A directory of attendees (spreadsheet) including names, organizations, emails, and phone numbers
  • Note: Download the spreadsheet from the Resources page
• Connections with local officials and important offices that can aid in the transition to EVs
• A digital workbook from the session including information covered during the presentation and spaces for individual notes and action items
• An understanding of available resources and funding on the federal, state and local level
• A connection to your Clean Cities Coalition for any future projects

Attendees will receive multiple benefits for attending a Ready for EVs workshop including the physical takeaways from the event.

These benefits can include:

• The ability to dispel common electric vehicle myths
• Becoming aware of the barriers and challenges to EV adoption in their own community
• Understanding what electric vehicles are and how they impact communities
• Discussing various kinds of electrified transportation methods (i.e. public transportation)
• Learning about electric vehicle charging options
• Understanding various fears and anxieties associated with the transition to EVs
• Meeting your local or state Clean Cities Coalition and understanding their role in the transition to electric vehicles

Workshops are estimated to take around 4 hours each. It is recommended that Coalitions host their workshop either starting in the morning before lunch or in the afternoon after lunch. There is no scheduled “lunch break” in the workshop to avoid people leaving and not returning, but there are several mini-breaks scheduled throughout.

Your workshop should be open to any and all community members, regardless of the industry they are in, who are interested in furthering electrification in that specific community.

Note: You will want to invite people who have an interest in the specific community for which the workshop is being held. Do not invite attendees that are not interested in that specific community as they will not be able to contribute as much during the workshop. The idea of these workshops is that they can be repeated in communities all over your state but that the focus remains on what local people can do for an area.

Examples of who to invite:

“Communities are made of up organizations and individuals who take on the many tasks of envisioning, building, and maintaining a place for many people to live, work, and flourish together. Our workshops are open to community leaders of many types!” -From ReadyforEVs.com

A ‘community’ as defined for this workshop series does not have to be one specific geographic location. However, if you choose one city, town, or county to focus on, that is often the easiest route to take.

A community can also be a portion of a city or county, such as “South Knoxville” or can be a segment of the population depending on the size of the community, such as “New York City taxi services.”

If you have questions about your chosen community, please reach out to your Lead Coalition or the team at East TN Clean Fuels.

Choosing a community to host your workshop for is easy! (Review what defines a community on the Resources page.)

Consider a few things when choosing a community to host your workshop for:

• Consider what communities your Coalition is already working in
• Consider what communities your Coalition has not done much work in before
• Consider if you have any contacts in that community already or if you will be starting fresh
• Is the community disproportionately affected by air pollution or other has other environmental and energy justice needs?
• Is this a rural, suburban, or urban community?
  • Keep in mind the feelings towards EVs and electrification in general in that area. Is the community going to be upset by this workshop? Are you willing to deal with any backlash or negative feedback at this time?

Feel free to reach out to your Lead Coalition or East TN Clean Fuels with any questions about choosing a community.

For this project, NFPA and the lead Clean Cities Coalitions need to host 30 workshops by the end of 2023. Ideally, we plan to have hosted at least 15 workshops by the end of 2022.

Consider what projects and other activities your Coalition have going on throughout 2022 and 2023 when considering a timeline for hosting your workshop. The Facilitator for the workshop will need to have time to attend a ‘Train the Facilitator’ session, market the event, invite attendees, and host the 4-hour workshop along with completing any follow-up feedback.

We will be periodically sending out Doodle Polls to get a feel for when Coalitions are interested in hosting their workshop. Please do not reply to these polls if you have already responded, already hosting your workshop, or already have a workshop date on the registration event calendar.

Event registration will be hosted on ReadyforEVs.com on the “Find a Workshop” page.

Coalitions will send potential workshop participants to the website to learn more about the project as well as sign-up for their local, virtual event.

The East TN Clean Fuels team will be in charge of adding workshops to the Events page. Please contact Ainsley Kelso, ainsley@etcleanfuels.org, with any questions or changes needed to your event registration.

On behalf of NFPA, East TN Clean Fuels, Virginia Clean Cities, and Central Florida Clean Cities, we want to thank your Clean Cities Coalition for wanting to host a ‘Ready for EVs’ workshop in your area! These virtual workshops will be a fantastic opportunity to bring a community with shared interests together to formulate an electrification plan for their community and discuss overcoming barriers to electrification.

A ‘Ready for EVs’ Workshop should look like this…

• Virtual group of people from a community with shared interests
• A facilitator from the Clean Cities Coalition
• One Subject Matter Expert (SME) from NFPA

NFPA will be setting up the Zoom rooms for all of the workshops. The link will be shared with your Coalition closer to the date of your workshop as well as with your workshop attendees.

The facilitator from the hosting Clean Cities Coalition will follow a “Facilitator’s Guide” throughout the workshop and the information will be aided by a slideshow presentation (provided by NFPA with the ability to edit).

Workshop attendees will follow along during the session in a “Participant’s Guide” that they can either print off or type in on their own devices. Coalitions will need to encourage all participants to utilize the guide during the session in order for them to get everything they can from the session.

The workshop will last approximately four hours with short breaks scheduled throughout. There is not a long break scheduled for lunch, so please consider that when deciding on what time to host your workshop. We do not recommend breaking for lunch during your workshop as people tend to not return after a long break.

Expectations for Coalitions:

• Attempt to have at least 50 participants at the workshop
• Promote your workshop in the weeks leading up to it
• Facilitate the approximately four-hour workshop the day of
• Respond to the request for feedback following the workshop
• Ask for help from your Lead Coalition, ETCF, or NFPA when needed
• Read through the Resources page and other provided materials
• Attend one “Train the Facilitator” session before your workshop