Diesel Ambulance Shuts Down Due to EPA Regs While Victim Dies
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Soundguy
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i agree.. in critial service vehicles ( airplanes, military vehicles, emergency services ).. there should not be a forced shutdown without the ability to manually overide for a &^%$ emissions control circuit...
I'm glad I drive an OLD diesel... don't need pee in a tank to drive it.
that's like a second fuel tank.
cost of driving goes UP... mmmm sign me up
timster2
Platinum Member
Emergency vehicles should be set to run they seize up rather than shut down when they are needed the most. I know that fire truck engines will not shut down even if all power is removed they cant run the risk of stopping the pumps with fire fighters at the end of the line relying on a water supply. More to this story for sure.
Soundguy
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i've heard of police cruisers designed to run x many more miles AFTER loss of engine coolant.
patheti they could not have made a workaround for the pee tank.
patheti they could not have made a workaround for the pee tank.
TCJatko
Platinum Member
If it's in the District, it's mismanaged, abused, corrupted, or stolen. Sheer incompetence.
Scooby074
Super Member
"In May of last year, after many complaints from other fire departments, the EPA issued a directive waiving the diesel emissions rules for fire engines and ambulances."
Why wasn't the shutdown system deactivated when it became legal to do so?
Why was a shutdown system enabled on emergency vehicles in the first place?
Why were all previous alerts ignored until the system HAD to shut down?
Not that I really shed a tear for the perp, but innocent sick people could die from this system.
I LIKE the idea that the fuel door wont open unless the DEF is above a certain point. I also like the idea of annoying buzzers to indicate low DEF or need to regen as opposed to idiot lights.
Why wasn't the shutdown system deactivated when it became legal to do so?
Why was a shutdown system enabled on emergency vehicles in the first place?
Why were all previous alerts ignored until the system HAD to shut down?
Not that I really shed a tear for the perp, but innocent sick people could die from this system.
I LIKE the idea that the fuel door wont open unless the DEF is above a certain point. I also like the idea of annoying buzzers to indicate low DEF or need to regen as opposed to idiot lights.
Soundguy
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well said.
aczlan
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Like Scooby074, I wonder why the earlier warnings were ignored (or if they even showed up). Perhaps the other warnings went off when there was no one in the cab as they were stabilizing and/or loading the patient?
With the "brains" in new cars, it amazes me that they dont show a human readable message in the dash when there is a problem vs an idiot light...
Also, who thought that a emissions system that functions poorest when idling for long periods of time (like firetrucks and ambulances do) was a good idea?
Aaron Z
With the "brains" in new cars, it amazes me that they dont show a human readable message in the dash when there is a problem vs an idiot light...
Also, who thought that a emissions system that functions poorest when idling for long periods of time (like firetrucks and ambulances do) was a good idea?
Aaron Z
JESSE1
Veteran Member
I don't know what brand this ambulance was but Ford has a message that pops up right in the message center that will tell you "50 miles to reduced power". If these vehicles do have the DEF system, that should be a maintained item that is checked as often as the vehicle is fueled or oil is checked. Depending on how much load is put on the engine, you can go several thousand miles on a tank of DEF. I have the DEF system on my '12 F-450 and it hasn't been a problem to keep the tank filled.
sscrob
Bronze Member
The new diesels will go into "limp mode" for more than low DEF or needing to do a regen. If the unit thinks its going to do damage to its self it will go into limp. It could of been lots of stuff that caused it to limp.
We take care of a fleet of 8 ambulances at our shop and we have invested in a program that allows you to adjust the amount of fuel allowed in a limp condition. Basically instead of 10 percent power in a limp condition, I set it to 90 percent. All the warning buzzers and lights tell the driver its in limp but it will still complete the emergency run.
I didn't know anything about the EPA wavier, I'll have to check into that.
We take care of a fleet of 8 ambulances at our shop and we have invested in a program that allows you to adjust the amount of fuel allowed in a limp condition. Basically instead of 10 percent power in a limp condition, I set it to 90 percent. All the warning buzzers and lights tell the driver its in limp but it will still complete the emergency run.
I didn't know anything about the EPA wavier, I'll have to check into that.