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Fire Technology Corner:
California Fire Department Sets 'Green' Technology Trend
The city of San Rafael, Calif. is right next door to the Fireman's Fund headquarters in the neighboring town of Novato. Both Fireman's Fund and the San Rafael Fire Department share something besides neighborliness: a commitment to the "green" environmental movement that is gaining force in the U.S., as well as around the world.
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Fireman's Fund leads the insurance industry in providing green insurance to its customers (see sidebar article for explanation of "green" insurance). Meanwhile, the San Rafael Fire Department, which serves around 60,000 people, is very likely the first in the country to have introduced green fire engines — it uses solar panels to power its onboard engine batteries.
"The solar panels keep the onboard batteries on our fire engines charged at all times — without running the engine," explains Dave Holland, Engineer, San Rafael Fire Department.
Less Stress on Equipment and Environment
Because of the ability to charge the batteries without running the engine, the onboard computers and other electronics, plus equipment like thermal imagers, can continue to have a power source while the engine is off.
"We will save money on the engines, batteries and alternators because using the panels extends the useful lifespan of these items, and we also save money on energy consumption," says Holland.
The benefits to the environment are also significant, he adds. "Not running the engine to charge the six big batteries on each engine is also much more environmentally responsible — with a huge 475 horsepower diesel running all the time, the carbon footprint must be huge," says Holland. "Bottom line is, it's clean and free energy — why not use the sun? It's the ethical thing to do. "
An environmental enthusiast who owns a solar-powered home, Holland spearheaded the pilot with a single panel on one engine. The success of that pilot led to adding a second panel to the engine — and a plan to fit two panels on each engine operated by the San Rafael department by the end of this year, says Holland.
Two solar panels cost around $525. The two panels usually produce more than enough energy to continue to run the engine batteries and onboard electronics throughout the night when there's no sun, says Holland. "It's a very small investment for big pay-off."
"There's nothing worse than jumping in the truck in the morning and finding out the battery's not charged. With this set-up, we don't have to worry about someone forgetting to plug in the batteries at night."
Holland has future plans for the department's main firehouse and six stations to also be fitted with solar panels to help cut down on their utility bills. "My house has 30 panels on it, and I don't have any real power bills," points out Holland.
Local news media have picked up the story. Holland says that he and the department's apparatus mechanic, Steve Rutkowski, have been getting calls from fire departments around the country who want to copy the success of the solar panel-powered batteries. Those who'd like to know more about this technological application can email Dave Holland at Daveholland@mac.com.
(Note: Fireman's Fund awarded a Heritage grant to the San Rafael Fire Department in October 2007 for a thermal imaging camera.)
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Forest-Stewardship