"Green" fire trucks added to Air Force fleet

  • Published
  • By John Burt
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Some Air Force fire trucks are going green thanks to new idle reduction technology.

Built into many new fire trucks, IRT is a feature that automatically transitions the truck from the engine to an on-board auxiliary power unit, or generator, after the truck has been idling for two minutes. This helps reduce fuel use, carbon emissions, and wear and tear on the vehicle's main engine.
 
"There is a significant difference in fuel consumption with the IRT system," said Fred Terryn, fire vehicle program manager at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center. "A diesel engine typically burns between one and one-quarter to one and one-half gallons of fuel per hour. The IRT system will only use about one quart per hour."

The APU provides enough power for essentials like communication equipment, environmental controls and National Fire Protection Association required emergency lights. Although the main engine is needed to power a vehicle's water pump, approximately 80 percent of Air Force fire department responses, such as emergency medical service calls, aren't fire related and don't require water.

"We respond to many supervisory fire alarms and vehicle accidents," said James Cook, firefighter with the 23rd Civil Engineer Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., one of the first fire departments to receive an IRT-equipped vehicle. "On calls where the pump is not used, the IRT will engage, shut down the main engine and start saving fuel. If the pump is needed, a flip of the switch transitions back to the main engine, so there are no negative impacts on firefighting operations."

AFCEC's fire emergency services division manages the procurement of all Air Force fire vehicles and has spearheaded the use of IRT on many new trucks.

"Over the next two years, the Air Force will receive more than 100 vehicles with IRT to include P-22 and P-24 structural pumpers, P-26 water tankers and P-30 rescue trucks," said Terryn. "It's a smart investment in sustainable technology that will allow us to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels."

The addition of each IRT system would more than pay for itself in the first year of operation, Terryn said, saving as much as $4,000 per vehicle, per year in fuel costs.

"Between our older engines and the new IRT engine, we're definitely seeing a difference in fuel usage," said Cook. "We usually fuel the vehicles here twice a week; however, the truck with IRT only requires fueling once a week."

"This technology makes sense," said Staff Sgt. Matthew Bates, fire crew chief with the 23rd CES. "It not only reduces the amount of diesel fuel we have to purchase, but with fewer operational hours on the truck's primary engine, it will also reduce required maintenance."

Many firefighters across the Air Force can look forward to seeing a "green" fire truck at their installations soon.