Environmental experience is not necessary. We train in house. Our primary business is training and certifying individuals in E.P.A. Reference Method 9, visual determination of opacity . This involves extensive travel to fifty locations in twenty-four states including Hawaii. Reference Method 9 certification is valid for six months, so each location must be serviced twice each year.
Training is carried out by two or three member teams on a rotating basis.
At expected staffing levels, each field member can therefore expect to travel from 18 to 22 weeks out of a calendar year. The Field Instructor tests and calibrates equipment, gathers fuels, and makes contact with state or local representatives. They then shut down the school and drive or fly back to Raleigh. Preparations are made for the next week's school. Since each field session entails two days of outdoor activity, most state and private programs opt to hold sessions in the spring and fall.