Two recent NIOSH Health Hazard Reports (HHEs) underscore the need for firefighters to use diesel exhaust extraction systems—even when firefighters are conducting routine running of the apparatus during equipment checks.
The hazards of diesel exhaust prompted the stations’ chiefs to request the two HHE studies.
In a 2017 study (HHE Report No. 2016-0094-3267), two fire stations were evaluated. The diesel fire engines in the stations were built in 1992 and 1999. As the study noted: “more than 95 percent of diesel exhaust particulate is less than 1 micrometer in size and is respirable. Because of their small size, diesel exhaust particles can be inhaled deeply into the lungs and even into the bloodstream.”
The NIOSH researchers monitored particulate concentrations throughout the day and also used ventilation smoke tubes to observe and monitor airflow direction.
The tests revealed that just after the diesel-engine-powered equipment was started in the bay, exhaust appeared to be flowing into the living quarters. The researchers also noted that an existing tailpipe exhaust system at one of the stations was not being used for equipment checks. “The firefighters indicated that this hose was used for maintenance that had to be done inside the bay, but it was not used during equipment checks in the bay.”
Among the recommendations made by the NIOSH researchers were to “install diesel control systems to decrease the amount of diesel exhaust in the apparatus bay” and to “use the tailpipe exhaust hose at station 1 when conducting equipment checks in the bay.”
Local Exhaust Extraction Needed, Even with Modern Diesel Engine Technology
The other NIOSH study was done in 2016 (HHE Report No. 2015-0159-3265), and also recommended a local exhaust ventilation system for a station, despite the station carrying modern engines that employed ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and contained diesel particulate filter and regeneration systems.
As the report noted, “Although exposures were low in all the stations, efforts to further reduce exposures are appropriate because of the potential health risks from exposures to diesel exhaust.”
The study also recommended the consideration of “local exhaust ventilation systems that attach directly to apparatus diesel exhaust in the back-in only station.”
The Challenge: Making Diesel Exhaust Extraction Systems Easier to Use
The diesel exhaust extraction industry has been focused on adding features to make their systems easier to use. For example, Plymovent has installed more than 50,000 source capture systems in North America, and in the past few years has added features that enable firefighters to conduct routine equipment checks inside the station.
For example, firefighters can operate their system in a “manual” mode during extended running and equipment checks, and when the check is complete, the STOP button is pressed and the manual system switches back to “automatic” mode so the system is ready for the next emergency run, in which the exhaust hose automatically disconnects from the tailpipe as the truck exits the station.
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Posted: Oct 6, 2017
By Alan M. Petrillo
Buckeye, Arizona, is a community that has a huge footprint with 400 square miles in the city of Buckeye that makes up the majority of the 600 square miles the Buckeye (AZ) Fire Department covers with six stations. Each station houses a 1,500-gpm engine, two of the stations have brush trucks, the hazmat vehicle is at Station 5, and a 100-foot TDA (tiller drawn aerial) that has extrication equipment and the technical rescue support vehicle are at Station 3, which is co-manned. Four of Buckeye's stations were permanent, while Stations 3 and 5 were temporary. It was at Station 3's temporary location where the most problems occurred.
Bob Costello, Buckeye's chief, says the area grew so fast that the growth outpaced the ability of the fire department to construct new stations to respond to the expansion. "Buckeye Station 3 was housed in temporary quarters in an old Caterpillar Corp. testing facility," Costello says. "It was a 45-year-old shop building that had been converted to living quarters for the firefighters, working spaces, and apparatus bays. But it was an old, run-down building that had a lot of environmental problems—and by that I mean problems with critters because we are in the desert."
The critters Costello refers to are snakes—western diamondback rattlesnakes as well as other varieties and a pair of large adult owls. "We found rattlesnakes inside the building in the living and working areas and often outside the doors of the firehouse," Costello says. "The two big owls were roosting in the rafters and would go out, catch prey, and bring it live into the firehouse. Then they would eat the prey and drop the bones on the apparatus floor. The fire department really needed to move that station."
Beyond the issues of the old structure not being entirely suited to a firehous, and the critters populating the temporary station, Perlman Architects of Arizona, the firm charged with getting a new Station 3 built, faced other planning and design challenges. "From a site planning perspective, the site was small—less than two acres—and in a curved, triangular shape," says Ken Powers, a principal at Perlman Architects. "Also, the site is located in the Verrado master planned community, and the developer has high design standards for its communities, with extensive design guidelines that have to be considered."
Powers says he worked hand in hand with the developer and came up with two different elevation styles for the firehouse: one a brick structure and the other a Spanish mission style. The community chose the brick design as one that gave the structure a small town feel, yet made an iconic statement because the station site is on a prominent corner on one of Verrado's major roads. "We were able to incorporate a tower element into the station, which the community has told us gives it a grandiose feel," Powers observes.
Buckeye wanted a sustainable fire station, Powers says, and the finished Station No. 3 was awarded a Leadership in Energy and
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