FEATURE STORY
By Kris Kiser
Ethanol Education
'Look Before You Pump' campaign seeks to inform
public about properly fueling equipment
a
s outdoor power equipment
dealers, you face a challenging
task to educate consumers
about proper fueling and
safety use with outdoor power
equipment.
Today, higher-ethanol-blended fuels be-
coming more readily available in the market-
place presents an additional challenge. This
fuels paradigm shift can be confusing to
consumers. With the introduction of ethanol
blends greater than 10 percent, such as E15,
E30 and E85, consumers may inadvertently
misfuel their outdoor power equipment, utility
vehicles (UTV) and marine equipment.
Consumers may not realize that the fuel
they put in their cars, especially those designed
for higher ethanol blends, may not be safe for
their outdoor power equipment, small engines
and boats.
Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Ameri-
cans say they assume that any gas sold at the
gas station is safe for all of their cars, as well
as boats, mowers, chain saws, snowmobiles,
generators and other small-engine products,
according to a survey by Harris Interactive
with the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute
(OPEI) in 2013.
The 'Look Before You Pump' campaign was
created by OPEI, an international trade
association representing 100 small-engine,
UTV and outdoor power equipment manu-
facturers and suppliers, to educate the public.
Known by its emblematic prominent, red
warning hand symbol indicating 'OK' for 10-
percent ethanol and 'No' for mid-level ethanol
blends (such as E15, E30, E85), the 'Look Before
You Pump' campaign is spreading nationwide
as ethanol-blended fuels containing more
than 10-percent ethanol are made available in
the marketplace for 'flex-fuel' automobiles.
And others are supporting the campaign.
The National Marine Manufacturers Associa-
tion (NMMA) recently signed an agreement
14 O U T D O O R P O W E R E Q U I P M E N T www.outdoorpower equipment.com
