Diesel Ambulance Shuts Down Due to EPA Regs While Victim Dies

[JasG]

Sad part is much the emissions crap started with CARB and was based on fraud and made up numbers. The EPA just rubber stamped it and at 1st mandated EGR only. It wasn't till the fraud was found out that they began to allow SCR in 2009 with a rules change.

The world according to CARB | CalWatchDog

Junky Science

Currently, thousands of independent truckers and tow-truck drivers are losing their businesses because of the baseless diesel regulations created by CARB. Even after the exposure of the CARB employee with fraudulent credentials, CARB forged ahead with the impossible diesel regulations.

Hien T. Tran, who published the damning data finding that diesel emissions cause premature deaths, was the lead scientist who wrote the report, 溺ethodology for Estimating Premature Deaths Associated with Long-term Exposures to Fine Airborne Particulate Matter in California, on which the heavy duty truck and bus regulations are based. But, it was revealed that Tran had purchased a mail order Ph.D. from Thornhill University, which is apparently nothing more than a box in a UPS store in New York City.

CARB痴 director, Mary Nichols, knew of the fraud before voting on the controversial regulation.

And it was reported that other board members knew about Tran痴 phony credentials, but withheld the information from other board members for nearly a year after the highly controversial vote. The attorney general at the time, current Gov. Jerry Brown, was also notified, and chose not to take action.

CARB promoted Tran, and gave him a $1,006.00 a month raise.

If you search for this dirt bag Hien T. Tran and fraud or CARB and diesel fraud you can find a lot of information. The guy made up the number of deaths it will prevent and over estimated the amount of emissions by around 400%.

One guy who tried to stop this was fired.
Green regulation in CA: Academic fraud, retaliation, and science denial ｫ Hot Air

However, another researcher who found no connection between diesel particulates and 菟remature deaths decided to check on Tran痴 credentials, and discovered that his PhD had come from a diploma mill, bought for $1000. When the researcher, UCLA痴 Dr. James Enstrom, blew the whistle on Tran and insisted that CARB needed to consider his work before passing the new regulation, a curious thing happened. After 34 years on the job, UCLA fired Enstrom. Why? Perhaps it has to do with the fact that two powerful CARB commissioners, Mary Nichols and John Froines, are also UCLA professors. According to Balaker, Froines voted to give Enstrom his pink slip.

Things like this sour me on the tree hugger movement. They have an agenda and facts don't seem to matter.

 

[Midniteoyl]

They have an agenda and facts don't seem to matter.

Facts are an 'inconvenient truth' against them

 

[ericher69]

From reading this thread I believe there is a misconception that the vehicle needs to idle to Regen...

That is not the case either with DPF or DEF.

Either can and will regen when driving (especially at freeway speeds) unless of course the Regen Inhibit switch has been activated.

This switch may not exist on regular diesel vehicles but emergency vehicles come equipped with this feature to prevent a regen and high exhaust temps when it is not desire able to do so like when parked in someone's driveway or when kids are around.

 

[aczlan]

ericher69, as I understand it, after a certain point the ECU will force a regen (which is what it appears to haved happened here).
From the CAT C15 manual:

DPF regeneration required
* Phase 1: The symbol appears to indicate that the
particulate filter has to be regenerated at the next
opportunity.
* Phase 2: If you continue driving without carrying out
a regeneration, the symbol will start to flash after a
while. Carry out the regeneration immediately.
* Phase 3: If you still do not carry out the regeneration,
the "ENGINE WARNING" message also
appears after a while. Immediately carry out a stationary
regeneration, if you do not, engine power
will be reduced.
* Phase 4: If you still do not carry out the stationary
regeneration, the "STOP ENGINE" message will
appear after a while. Immediately carry out a stationary
regeneration, if you do not, the engine will
be shut off.

 

[ericher69]

Aczlan;


CAT does not make emergency vehicle engines since the TIER IV regs came into effect; as far as I know.

Also your link is from 2007...

Here is a more recent and applicable link.

http://cumminsengines.com/uploads/docs/4971424.pdf

Notice on page 4 note ;that it does say that cummins does not reduce speed in emergency vehicle applications due to soot load but it may affect engine performance.

Don't know what diesels DC runs in ambulances but to my knowledge (being a former Paramedic) only diesels available where Navistar, ford and Gm.

Here is a fire service emissions history link if anyone cares to read

http://www.iafc.org/files/1EVM/FAMA_EmerVehEmissionsSysGuide.pdf

 

[sparc]

If this was an older Ford, it would not have the DEF additive tank, because Ford didn't have that system until 2011 I believe, so the following would not apply.

But, if you watch the first few minutes of this Ford video explaining how the system works and how to maintain it, you will see that under normal operation there would be 4 warnings before the motor would go into 'idle only' mode, and the first warning comes at about 800 miles before the idle only mode would kick in.

You have to be a total moron and completely ignore all the visual and audible warnings for a couple hundred miles to get to the point where the truck won't move. And if that's the case I don't think I'd want you performing 'life saving' procedures on me.

In my 2012 F-350, I am over 6000 miles since I last filled the DEF tank. I have only had to fill it at each oil change. Currently I am between 1/2 and 1/4 of a tank of DEF remaining(with over 6000 miles since last filled). The information system does not give very accurate level information, its either OK, >1/2 Full, <1/2 Full, <1/4 Full, or EMPTY. I would prefer they gave the remaining level in % of full, but it is what it is.

The Ford does not need to stop to perform the 'regen' of the system, it takes place while under way, with a hit on MPG but you can keep going at normal speed. The vehicle does not slow down or limit you to 55 MPH. Regen takes about 10 minutes while under way. For me it happens about once every 400 miles. Depends on if I have been towing a trailer or otherwise working the motor harder than normal. Jack rabbit starts and hard acceleration will increase DEF fluid consumption and frequency of regenerations, and people who are not paying for the fuel or maintenance and have a license to run read lights like ambulance drivers do will certaintly be working their trucks harder than I do, its just the nature of the service they perform.

I bring this up because there are people here ready to blame a emissions control system which probably was not even installed on the vehicle in question. The culprit is more likely poor or neglegent maintenance than anything else. After taht I would suspect a mechanical malfunction with the vehicle as the second most likely cause.

2011 Ford Super Duty Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Tutorial - YouTube

 

[JESSE1]

The trucks will not start a regen while in park and if it's already in a regen it will stop it when the trans is shifted to park. The Chassis-cab trucks also allow the driver to start a regen manually when they start moving, a feature I wish my pickup had because it usually will start a regen when I'm almost home.

 

[Midniteoyl]

and the first warning comes at about 800 miles before the idle only mode would kick in.

You have to be a total moron and completely ignore all the visual and audible warnings for a couple hundred miles to get to the point where the truck won't move. And if that's the case I don't think I'd want you performing 'life saving' procedures on me.

I think the thing that most are missing here is that the 'lights' went from the 'warning' to 'stop' very quickly. From the way I read it, this has happened several times to this truck and was considered a fault with the truck itself, not the driver(s).