By Plymovent Staff

When a fire department acquires a new fire truck equipped with advanced diesel exhaust technologies, fire personnel should be aware that while the health risks associated with exhaust emissions are reduced, hazards still remain. The Plymovent team reviewed several studies in which researchers measured the emissions of new technology diesel engines (NTDE) including a diesel particulate filter (DPF), a selective catalytic reducer (SCR), and a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC). The studies indicate that the occupational health hazards from the emissions have been lessened, but not eliminated, by NTDE. Here are three threats that NTDE exhaust still poses to firefighters.

Threat #1: The 10 percent or More of Pollutants Still Being Emitted: In 2015, The Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study (ACES), managed by the Health Effects Institute (HEI), published research showing that concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and toxic air pollutants emitted from NTDE were more than 90 percent lower than emissions from TDE. While this was received with great optimism, not all researchers agree with the "90 percent" finding. A 2016 Health Canada report stated that NTDE removes “more than 70 percent” of compounds from diesel exhaust. Whether the actual number is 10 percent or 30 percent, there is no acceptable limit of diesel exhaust, as the exhaust is complex and contains both carbon particulates and 40 chemicals that are classified as “hazardous air pollutants” under the Clean Air Act.

Threat #2: The Increase in Ultrafine Particles: Diesel exhaust contains “ultrafine particles” (UP), which are considered the most dangerous of all types of PM because they are small enough to be moved through the cell barrier and into the bloodstream, where they can reach any organ in the body including the brain. Several studies have shown that "clean diesel" trucks can meet both mass and number standards but emit significant numbers of solid particles below 23 nm, or UP. One research team monitored a heavy-duty diesel truck with a DPF and identified the release of ultrafine particles of 8 to 10 nm from the DPF.

Threat #3: Emissions While Idling: Another factor for firefighters to consider is how NTDE functions when the truck is idling during an apparatus check. In particular when the exhaust temperature is less than 570°F (300°C), the DOC does not operate fully. An idling truck may release emissions that contain unburned fuel and products of incomplete combustion. SCR output has also raised concerns when the engine is first started, because SCR injects ammonia into the exhaust gas stream and reacts with NO and NO2 to form nitrogen and water. Unfortunately, if too much ammonia is injected, then “ammonia slip” occurs, in which ammonia (NH3) is emitted. 

Localized Exhaust Removal the Best Solution
Because of these ongoing diesel exhaust threats, NIOSH officials visited and measured air quality in fire stations in 2016 and 2017 and recommended “local exhaust ventilation systems” for fire apparatus, such as those offered by Plymovent, even though several trucks had NTDE installed. This is why Jim Burneka from Firefighter Cancer Consultants, LLC. has stated that "the closed source hose capture system is generally the best system" for removing hazardous diesel exhaust from the fire station. Because these systems are attached to the apparatus, diesel exhaust is captured at the source, serving as an extension of a vehicle’s exhaust system tailpipe and sending harmful particulates and gases outdoors. A localized exhaust removal system also minimizes the amount of air that needs to be removed, helping to reduce total energy costs. Systems like those offered by Plymovent include fans with timers to co

By Alan M. Petrillo

Two upstate New York volunteer fire companies, each faced with the need to upgrade their individual substations located near the center of the town of Malta in Saratoga County, came up with a plan for a shared fire station that suits the needs of each company, as well as providing faster emergency response to citizens in both fire districts.

Malta Ridge Fire Department contracts with the town of Malta to provide fire protection, while Round Lake Hose Company provides fire protection as a village department. Six years ago, a fire survey audit performed by an independent organization showed that both fire companies have good main stations at the north and south ends of the town but that both companies' substations near the center of town were subpar, basically garages to house apparatus.

Steven Rowland, principal at Butler Rowland Mays Architects, who designed the new joint station for the two fire companies, says one of the driving forces for a new station was a large development in their coverage area, including a number of multistory buildings with very little access. "In addition, Malta Ridge had a new ladder that was going to be delivered, and it needed to add an extension to a temporary bay to house it unless it could be moved into a new station," Rowland points out.

Peter Shaw, former chief of Malta Ridge, says the two fire companies considered having a development corporation build a new station and then rent if from the corporation, but discarded that idea. "They formed the Fire Companies of Malta (FCOM), a nonprofit organization, where three members from each fire company sit on the board of directors, to build the station, make payments on it, and run manage the fire station," Shaw says. "FCOM borrowed money from each organization to build the station, and the fire companies have a 99 year lease on the building."

Rowland notes that the new joint station has four drive-through, double-deep apparatus bays; a turnout gear room with open lockers and adjacent male and female bathrooms with showers; a laundry and decon room, offices for each fire company; an office for the FCOM; a ready room for firefighters; and a board of directors meeting room that also serves as a public room.

The $3.2 million structure is 14,000 square feet, has a primarily steel frame with an exterior of fiber cement siding and masonry, a pitched main roof of asphalt shingles, and a low slope membrane roof over the apparatus bays with a clerestory roof monitor to let natural light into the bays. The apparatus bays hold Malta's new 100-foot aerial platform, an engine, and a brush unit, as well as Round Lake's engine, brush unit, rescue truck, and boat.

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