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| Volume 17, Issue 3 | Fall 2005 |
"Cutting Edge Transit" Gary HeglandSURTC Fargo, ND Today I'm feeling compelled to write about fires. This is not about the friendly fires that keep us warm during cold weather, but rather the raging fires that destroy property and take lives. There have been three fires this summer that you may have heard about - one in Sioux Falls, SD, in August, one in Jamestown, ND, in September during the DTA conference, and one in Texas when people were evacuating in anticipation of Hurricane Rita. Fire safety should be everyone's concern, and that must be the case because buses have a very low accident rate. For the 2.3 billion miles driven annually in the United States, only 1.6 percent of the vehicle accidents are bus accidents. Some of those bus accidents involve fires. Joe Meuwissen of the Bloomington Fire Department presented a fire safety meeting this fall at the Minnesota Public Transportation Association Annual Conference in Minneapolis. The table below shows the source of ignition for the fires that have happened to buses, according to Fire Chief Meuwissen. The news reports on the bus that burned in Texas reported a bad bearing on a rear wheel started the fire. When the fire got going, the oxygen tanks of the passengers started exploding, which contributed to the disastrous outcome. From the table below, you can see the wheel well is the most frequent source of bus fires. Usually what happens is that the wheel bearing is faulty, gets hot and starts the tire on fire.
The point is that fires do not occur very frequently, allowing transit personnel to become complacent about fire safety procedures. The incidents reported above are a very real reminder that fire safety should be taken very seriously. Bus fires occur very infrequently, but when they happen, they can be very serious and even deadly. Keep fire safety training high on your priority list, and be well trained on company-accepted procedures for fire evacuations. Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel Kevin SicklerProperty Maintenance Superintendent Minot City Transit Minot, ND The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has mandated the use of fuels with sulfur rating of 15 ppm be in 100 percent fleet compliance by 2010. This means your diesel fleet must, by 2007, start using ULSD. From 2007 to 2009, you must have 50% of your fleet using ULSD, according to EPA's ruling. With that said, your switch to ULSD should be 100 percent complete, not including off-road-use fuels, by that date. Off-road or non-highway use regulations are similar, requiring use of a 15 ppm sulfur-content fuel. What's important to remember during this transition is that the refining process, not the lack of sulfur, greatly lowers the lubricity in the fuels make-up. Engines manufactured before 2007, which are not required to use ULSD, will be able to use ULSD as long as a very good fuel additive program is used. Engines that require ULSD use only will come with a multitude of mechanical and user issues that will have to be changed or even suspended. Until you have such engines in your fleet, your actions need to be directed toward the needs of your current fleet. Among the first and most simple issues to address is fuel storage on site. The diesel tank is emptied to its lowest level possible. Then transport loads of ULSD only are brought in on a regular schedule and within 2-3 loads you would be at complete ULSD use. This is the point where biodiesel comes into play. Biodiesel has very good lubricity properties. A 2 percent to 5 percent biodiesel blend will bring back 66 percent of the lubricity lost in refining of ULSD. This will resolve all of the lubrication issues that ULSD will have in its use. The use of biodiesel is a double-edged sword-it has great lubricity and a very high cloud (or gel) point. On the positive side, along with the good lubrication characteristics, biodiesel has excellent cleaning properties. As you begin using a biodiesel blend, the fuel systems will be cleaned, in turn plugging filters and injectors. Once they have been changed, regular service intervals will be able to be continued and, as long as biodiesel is constantly used, plugging should not reoccur. A negative characteristic of biodiesel is its performance in cold weather. The use of 2 percent to 5 percent biodiesel along with current blending of #1 and #2 diesel fuel, would not require any other additives in the cold weather months. The use of B20 or 20 percent biodiesel has the most "bang for the buck". This is because the BTU loss is only 1 percent to 2 percent over the straight blending of #1 and #2 diesel fuel. To blend at any higher percent would cause cold weather problems. With no biodiesel blending, a lubricity additive must be used. At this time, biodiesel, in this area, is brought to the pipeline by truck, and then blended to the percentage required. This makes it very costly. Once the plant in Minot is opened and biodiesel is more readily available, hopefully the cost will drop and make it more of a product to consider using. Additives for lubrication are not cheap either, but they have no cold-weather issues. Some budget things to keep in mind with ULSD mandates:
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In this issue...
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The bus that burned in Sioux Falls started in the engine compartment. The accompanying picture shows what a bus engulfed in flames looks like. John Nardini said people were very lucky to all get out safe; the driver kept his wit about him and responded by getting all the passengers out. However, two motorized wheel chairs and one prosthetic limb were lost in the fire. John indicated they have made or are considering the following changes.
The fire in Jamestown, ND, was the result of arson. The James River Transit bus had been delivered to a repair shop for work to be done. The repair shop did not have storage room for the bus inside, so the bus was left outside the building. During the night someone apparently torched the bus and, as you can see, the whole engine compartment, windshield, and dash were destroyed.