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Department of Ecology News Release - June 27, 2011
11-178
OLYMPIA – The Poulsbo Fire Department will use a $39,000 grant from the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) to install generators and back-up battery systems on emergency vehicles in what may prove to be a model for change throughout the fire service.
If this pilot program to install small generators on two engines and battery back-up systems on two medic units proves successful, then the entire fleet will be outfitted with the systems.
Responders must keep the engines of emergency vehicles idling at an incident scene to provide power to the emergency lights and equipment chargers, and to eliminate any chance the vehicle may not restart. These new systems would enable firefighters to turn off the engine but still keep the emergency lights running without draining the vehicle’s battery. This cuts toxic air emissions, reduces consumption of expensive fuel, and avoids costly wear and tear on the vehicle’s diesel engine.
Poulsbo Fire Battalion Chief Jim Gillard said, “This project will save thousands of taxpayer dollars in fuel and maintenance cost for our apparatus. More importantly, it will reduce the exposure of our patients, the public, and our firefighters to harmful diesel exhaust.”
Ecology has identified diesel exhaust as the air pollutant most harmful to public health in Washington. Seventy percent of the cancer risk from airborne pollutants is from diesel exhaust. It makes healthy people more at risk for respiratory disease and worsens the symptoms of people with health problems such as asthma, heart disease and lung disease.
Gillard said, “This project grew out of an attempt to obtain grant funding for exhaust capture systems for the apparatus bays. After Ecology staff explained their grant program, which was focused on idle reduction for school buses, it became obvious that Ecology had a great program which could be applied to our use of fire apparatus.”
Since 2003, Ecology’s Clean Diesel Program has helped reduce harmful diesel emissions from more than 8,000 engines. Most of those are public school bus engines.
Mike Boyer, Ecology’s project manager, said: “The Poulsbo Fire District project may provide a greater health benefit than any project we’ve ever completed because it reduces exposure to diesel emissions for people that might be suffering from cardiac or respiratory failure.”
“We think this is the first time anyone has ever installed idle reduction technologies on emergency medical vehicles and fire engines,” Boyer said. “Ecology will expand this demonstration project to include the rest of the Poulsbo fleet plus fire district fleets in other areas of the state. This project should help save lives throughout Washington.”
A 2009 Ecology analysis estimates that fine particles contribute to about 1,100 deaths and millions of dollars in health-care costs each year in Washington. And according to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, the Puget Sound region is in the top 5 percent nationally at risk from toxic air pollution.
Currently, when a medic unit arrives on scene to a medical emergency (at a nursing home, for example), the facility may have its doors propped open to make way for the stretcher. Much of that exhaust can make its way into the building, where residents can breathe it. Idle reduction technology allows the medic unit to be shut off safely.
Idle reduction also protects firefighters from harmful emissions. Firefighters are known to have a much higher exposure to toxic substances and significantly higher cancer rates than the general public. The risk of developing and dying from several types of cancer is more than three times higher for firefighters with 10 to 19 years of experience than the general public.
Another benefit is the cost savings to citizens. According to Poulsbo Fire Department Mechanic Brett Annear, “I estimate this grant will save our taxpayers over $20,000 a year. Likely $16,000 savings in fuel consumption and a significant savings on maintenance costs due to less wear on the engine. The amount of fuel it takes to keep a large engine running is huge compared to the amount of fuel it takes to run a generator.”
On the fire engines, a small generator will provide the auxiliary power and run the emergency lights. On the medic unit, which has less storage space, a separate battery system will be used.
Securing other grants has also saved taxpayers’ money because the expense to meet emission standards was prohibitive. Annear said, “These generators are actually one of three major steps we’ve implemented to reduce emissions. Installation of catalytic converters and closed crankcase ventilation (CCV) systems also make significant emission reductions.”
In 2007, Poulsbo Fire received an $11,000 grant from Puget Sound Clean Air for the installation of seven catalytic converters. These exhaust converters capture the exhaust before it is released and channels it through the converter. It burns the exhaust at extremely high temperatures, resulting in up to 40 percent reduced emissions.
Ecology is funding installation of catalytic converters on the rest of the fleet and funding installation of CCV systems. These systems filter the contaminated air (excess exhaust called “blow-by” that seeps through the rings) and funnel the clean air back through the intake system. The old system pushed the contaminated air out through the bottom of the engine.
Annear said, “This was also a major concern of ours -- that the contaminated air could make its way into the cab of the truck where our firefighters sit.”
“The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has newer standards to encourage better protection. The desire to meet the newest EPA standards with older equipment was a challenge because our 1992 engines were built to 1992 standards, not 2011 standards. The generators meet the newest tier IV EPA emissions standards, and the CCV system virtually eliminates ‘blow-by’ emissions,” said Annear.
Poulsbo Fire Chief Dan Olson said, “In these tough economic times, we are continually looking for ways to reduce expenditures. This program brings significant savings while at the same time providing a safer environment. It is one of many ways we continue to explore alternative revenue sources and cost-saving measures.”
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Media Contacts:
Poulsbo Fire Department: http://www.poulsbofire.org//
Read more about Ecology’s clean diesel program: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/cars/diesel_exhaust_information.htm
“Health Effects and Economic Impacts of Fine Particle Pollution in Washington”: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/0902021.pdf
Check out ECOconnect, Ecology’s blog: http://ecologywa.blogspot.com/
Follow Ecology on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ecologywa
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
