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HomeMy WebLinkAboutUpdate - Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Ambulance Medic Unit Pilot ProgramCITY OF PALM DESERT CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE STAFF REPORT REQUEST: CNG AMBULANCE MEDIC UNIT PILOT PROGRAM UPDATE SUBMITTED BY: Stephen Y. Aryan, Assistant to the City Manager DATE: March 24, 2011 CONTENTS: 1. Fire Department Memorandum (March 14, 2010) 2. Fire Department Memorandum (October 18, 2010) 3. Medic 71 Mileage Evaluation (2010) 4. Medic 71 Mileage Evaluation (February 2011) Recommendation By Minute Motion, that the City Council: AUTHORIZE staff to negotiate a buyback of the existing CNG ambulance's chassis and fuel tanks with BAF Technologies and return to the City Council with a cost to re -modify the patient box and remount it on a new Clean Energy Diesel chassis. If such an option is unavailable, authorize staff to explore the cost to either a) reconvert the existing CNG Medic Unit back to a gasoline powered engine, or 2) remount it on an a new diesel chassis and return to the City Council with a cost estimate for both options. Executive Summary In May 2009, the Palm Desert City Council authorized staff to move forward with the construction of a compressed natural gas (CNG) medic unit, the first in the nation, and initiated a pilot program to gauge its operational effectiveness. This vehicle was placed into service in early 2010. The Fire Department has concluded it's testing of this CNG vehicle and expressed concerns over the range of the vehicle. The recommended Federal and Riverside County standard range for ambulances is to be able to travel 250 miles without refueling. The CNG unit is currently representing a range of 82 miles, based on the data collected by the Fire Department. The engine conversion manufacturer suggested increasing the tank capacity (at a cost of $15,000) to potentially achieve this range requirement, but cannot guarantee it would do so. Staff recommends remounting this vehicle on a clean diesel chassis, if applicable, or reconverting the unit to its original gasoline powered engine. Discussion On February 12, 2009, the Palm Desert City Council directed staff to explore the options of purchasing a CNG ambulance medic unit. This unit was anticipated to replace the existing unit serving Fire Station No. 71 (located at Portola Avenue and Country Club Drive). In May 2009, the City Council authorized staff to move forward with the construction of this CNG vehicle, the first in the nation, and initiated a pilot program to gauge its operational effectiveness. CNG Medic Unit Pilot Program Update March 24, 2011 Page 2 of 6 Frazer was selected as the vendor to build this new unit. Their ambulances are manufactured so that the existing patient compartment can be reused. The Fire Department schedules replacement of these removable patient modules every five years. However, storage of the CNG fuel tanks and increased vehicular weight required that the CNG unit's chassis be larger than current medic units. The CNG ambulance was configured so that the patient compartment (including the CNG fuel tanks) could be remounted onto a new chassis, as is currently done with existing diesel units. The pilot program began during the first quarter of 2010, when the unit was completed and put into service at Station No. 71. During the program's term, staff expected to identify and correct any potential issues before purchasing additional units for the remaining two stations. Fire Station No. 71 was selected as the home base for this unit because it has a very active call volume. As the work requires specific equipment and procedures, Frazer was selected as the sole source vendor for this project. They teamed with BAF Technologies (for CNG engine conversion). Vehicle Type A committee comprised of staff, industry experts, the City's consultant, and Fire officials met to discuss various options. The group came to a consensus that the City would be best served by purchasing a Frazer Type III 14' Generator Powered Module mounted on a 2009 Ford E450 6.81- gasoline chassis. The Ford engine was replaced with a BAF CalComp CNG engine system. CNG fuel tanks were mounted inside a compartment on the detachable patient compartment supplied by Frazer. The fuel capacity is 30 gasoline gallon equivalent (gge). Refueling protocols were discussed at length. Given that the Fire Department has a policy of refueling medic units at 3/4 capacity (no lower than 1/2), and hospitals and refueling infrastructure are located nearby (24 hours a day), range was not viewed as a deterrent at the time. Fueling Options The CNG vehicle is primarily fast filled at the Burrtec CNG station at 41575 Eclectic Street. Additional fast fill public stations are currently located in Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Thousand Palms and Indio. Vehicle Cost ITEM COST Frazer Type III 14' GPM $ 84,500.00 2009 Ford E-450 6.81- gas chassis w/ air suspension system $ 30,500.00 CNG Conversion $ 40,000.00 Required Optional Items $ 31,175.00 VEHICLE COST $186,175.00 At the time of purchase, a number of grant possibilities were presented by the City's consultant for both vehicle and infrastructure costs. However, these funds could not be retroactively applied. If the City decided to pursue such grant funding, it would have delayed the purchase by up to a year. Staff did apply for ARRA funds and another grant, for potential future CNG ambulance purchases, but was unsuccessful in this endeavor. G:\CityMgr\Stephen AryanlAgenda Reports\CNG Medic Unit Pilot Program Update.doc CNG Medic Unit Pilot Program Update March 24, 2011 Page 3 of 6 Fire Department's Findings Upon field testing the CNG ambulance, the Fire Department indicated concerns regarding the fuel range of the vehicle. Their specific issues are for the apparent low fuel economy of the vehicle and the limited ranged based on the current fuel capacity. This capacity is further reduced by the hot summer weather, as the increased temperature reduces the net fuel capacity. The Fire Department, via Riverside County Ordinance, is required to meet the minimum specification as prescribed by the Federal GSA Ambulance specification KKK-A-1822F, which specifies that ambulance shall be capable of being driven for at least 250 miles without refueling. This range is recommended because there is a strong possibility that the unit will be running continuous calls, without time between each incident for refueling. The second reason the Fire Department states is that they are legally required to transport patients to the closest, most appropriate facility based on their needs. This requirement could mean that they are transporting patients to the closest Trauma Center in Palm Springs, or Burn Unit in Colton. Fire Department personnel assigned to Medic 71 have kept detailed records of the mileage range of the CNG unit between refueling. They indicate that the vehicle is demonstrating an operational range as low as 82 miles. Compounding this problem is that the unit is out of service for approximately 30 minutes during each refueling session, which is approximately over four hours per week. The Department subsequently requested that the City contact the vendor for repair, modification, or reconversion to obtain the minimum 250 mile range. BAF did inspect the unit and found nothing to be out of place. They have proposed some solutions to increase the vehicle's range. One suggestion was to replace the existing tanks with larger capacity tanks, increasing the capacity from 30 to 50 gge. If the unit is fueled to 3600 PSI, then the range may increase to between 235 to 255 miles, bringing the unit closer to range requirements during optimal weather conditions. Again, this range is dependent on a full fuel pressure of 3600 PSI. There currently are no fuel stations in the City that provide this capacity, with the closest station providing 3600 PSI located at the Sunline Transit facility in Thousand Palms. The Fire Department indicated they have reservations with such a proposal. First, they have an issue with taking the unit out of service and out of the City when refueling. Their data indicates that the unit takes an average of thirty-two (32) minutes to refuel each trip based on the current 30 gallon tank configuration. Theoretically, if the tank size is increased to 50 gge, the unit could be out of service for a greater amount of time, reducing its availability to respond to emergency calls each day. They are equally concerned with side impact protection, with the increased tanks taking more room and being closer to the compartment doors. The Fire Department is also concerned with the availability of CNG fuel during a post earthquake disaster. While Fire Officials are supportive of any "Green" fuel technologies, they are currently hesitant to have emergency services rely on them until a highly reliable and available refueling source is in place and range is not limited. G:\CityMgr\Stephen Aryan\Agenda Reports\CNG Medic Unit Pilot Program Update.doc CNG Medic Unit Pilot Program Update March 24, 2011 Page 4 of 6 Medic 71 Options Option No. 1 Negotiate a buyback of the existing CNG ambulance's chassis and fuel tanks with BAF Technologies and return to the City Council with a cost to re -modify the patient box and remount it on a new Clean Energy Diesel chassis. If such an option is unavailable, it is recommended that staff explore the cost to either a) reconvert the existing CNG Medic Unit back to a gasoline powered engine, or 2) remount it on an a new diesel chassis and return to the City Council with a cost estimate. Staff will negotiate with the vendor to ascertain if they will perform the reconversion option at their cost. (Staff and Fire Department Recommended Option). Staff researched the issue of clean diesel fuel and found it to be a viable option in reducing overall emissions compared to previous diesel equipment. Advances in diesel engine technologies and ultra -low sulfur diesel availability meet EPA emissions standards. Coupled with newer emission systems and filters, smog causing NOx and particulate matters are shown to be reduced by approximately 90% from previous diesel technology. Also, for the use of this medic unit, a diesel engine is proven to provide more power and reliability. Diesel engines can also take both ULSD and Biodiesel fuels without any modifications. Both types of fuels are available options for a diesel medic unit. U.S. Emission Standards for Heavy -Duty Engines 0.6 0.5 OC J3 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 Model Year 6.0 5.0 �.., 4.0 3_O 2.O 1.0 z 0 A recent study conducted by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on certai fleet vehicles indicates that while CNG fuel provides good emission reductions, diesel and biodiesel are also viable options in obtaining similar benefits as the illustrates on the following page. n bus clean table G:\CityMgr\Stephen Aryan\Agenda Reports\CNG Medic Unit Pilot Program Update.doc CNG Medic Unit Pilot Program Update March 24, 2011 Page 5 of 6 Table E. 3 Impact of increasing alternative fuels and technologies to 15% of the transit bus fleet CO tons NMHC tons CH4 tons NO. tons PM tons CO2 tons Fuel Consumed Thousands of Gallons Incremental Change Relative to Anticipated 2009 Fleet Levels Clean Diesel 1,723 377 - 3,291 201 T 35,251 T 2,664 CNG � 689 341 T 422 4,239 .L 205 220,758 T 2,154 Diesel Hybrid 1,776 .L 366 - y 4,418 202 491,352 50,658 Gasoline Hybrid 6,178 211 - .L 5,963 199 74,114 T 2,833 Biodiesel (1320) la,� 384 166 - T 369 38 T 25,087 T 3,876 Implemented in the older diesel buses of the fleet Option No. 2 a. Increase the CNG tank capacity from 30 gge to 50 gge at an estimated cost of $15,000, which includes transportation costs to and from Texas. However, the vendor cannot guarantee that the increased tank size would meet the required 250 mile range requirement, as there are many variables to consider (e.g. temperature, how the vehicle is driven, fueling station pressurization, etc). b. Coupled with the increased tank capacity, the City would need to ensure a reliable 3600 PSI fueling station is available to the Fire Department. This condition could be met by either providing a fast -fill unit at the fire station (estimated to be approximately $200,000) or by modifying the Burrtec fueling facility (estimated to be approximately $25,000). However, with the Burrtec option, the Fire Department could not expect 3600 PSI after 4:00 PM, as this is the time the sanitation trucks are fueled. Therefore, the Burrtec option is not realistic given the Fire Department's twenty-four hour operational requirements. Staff respectfully recommends that the City Council approve Option No. 1. The pilot program conducted indicated that given the current infrastructure limitations and Fire Department operational requirements, the use of a CNG fueled ambulance is not currently a viable solution. However, staff understands that Palm Desert has been lauded by the clean energy community for initiating this program and leading the way for future improvements and efficiencies. Staff will continue to monitor alternate fuel trends and will inform the Council if advances in CNG technology would permit us to potentially reevaluate this program's benefit at a future date. Fiscal Impact If the City Council selects Option No. 1, they are not currently committing the City to any costs. Staff will research the costs of this proposal and return at a later City Council meeting, before the end of the fiscal year, with a recommendation and cost. If the City Council selects Option No. 2, there would be a cost of $15,000 to increase tank capacity and potential infrastructure costs of approximately $200,000. Staff would explore available grant options for such an infrastructure improvement, but this would be an unfunded capital improvement project. G:\CityMgr\Stephen Aryan\Agenda Reports\CNG Medic Unit Pilot Program Update.doc CNG Medic Unit Pilot Program Update March 24, 2011 Page 6 of 6 Submitted by: CITYCOUNCiiVnON APPROVED DENIED RECEIVED OTHER EET G D. - oll Step en Y. Aryan AYES:bDfL41r Assistant to the Cit Manager NOES: ABSENT: Reviewed by: ABSTAIN: VERIFIED BY: 1) Original on File with CityJerk's Office * By Minute Motion: 1) Authorize staff to purchase a new chassis, refurbish the existing PaulS. Gibson patient box and remount it on a new Clean Director of Finance/City Treasurer Energy Diesel chassis in the amount of $78,000, which includes transportation costs; 2) appropriate $78,000 from the Capital �. Replacement Fund; 3) authorize staff to negotiate a buyback of the existing CNG Division Chief Dorian Coolo ambulance chassis and fuel tanks with BAF Technologies. 5-0 Palm Desert Fire Departmdnt (Cal -Fire) Approved by: i M. Wohlmuth Manager G:\CityMgr\Stephen Aryan4Agenda Reports\CNG Medic Unit Pilot Program Update.doc I'AI=1�,LOI 7,1`IIIIPil Riverside County Fire Department flgp John R. Hawkins °PANUM County Fire Chief DATE: March 14, 2010 TO: Stephen Aryan FROM: Dorian J. Cooley, Division Chief RE: CNG Ambulance Disposition As previously discussed, the CNG Ambulance is not currently meeting our specifications for range. Both the consultant and engine converter (BAF Technologies) claim that they were not aware of a specfficfuel range requirement, however both admitted in our meeting to being asked and assuring us prior to construction that the vehicle would maintain the same range as the pre -converted format. Pre -converted, that chassis was equipped with a 55 gallon fuel tank and had a range conservatively of over 300 miles. BAF has have proposed a couple of solutions. Originally — they suggested adding a fourth tank to provide 40 Gas Gallon Equivalent (GGE) capacity. Unfortunately, at the realized fuel economy of around between 4.7 and 5.09 MPG, this only provides a 190 - 200 mile range — assuming that it is filled to 3600 PSI. At our most recent meeting they proposed reconfiguring the compartment, and replacing the 3 tanks with larger ones, configured to a capacity of 50 GGE. If the unit is fueled to 3600 PSI — than we should see a range of between 235 and 255. This appears to bring the unit close to, or at the minimum required range during optimal weather periods. Again, please note that this is assuming a full fuel pressure of 3600 PSI. As discussed, there are no fueling stations in the City which provide this capacity. The closest Is at the Sunline facility in Thousand Palms. We have a couple concerns with this plan. The first is the stated problem of having to take the unit out of service, and out of the City for every refueling. Our testing indicates that the unit with its current capacity takes an average of 32 minutes each trip. The enhanced capacity will theoretically increase this to 45 minutes. This reduces the availability of the unit for emergency calls each day. The second issue is that of safety. Our concerns for this installation lie primarily with side Impact protection. With the current configuration, there are 3 tanks mounted horizontally behind the cab in a rack. This puts the bottom tank at less than T from the ground and in an impact zone for side crashes. While worrisome, it was hoped that the rack system and accompanying setback (14'1 from the sides would be sufficient in the event of a side Impact. Unfortunately, the new tanks they are proposing are 18 inches longer and when installed will only be 4 or 5 inches from the compartment door. Any side impact with intrusion could potentially displace these tanks with the possibility of penetration, breaking off a valve, or severing a fuel line. If a rupture and a pressurized fuel fire were to occur, there would be little opportunity to escape for occupants — especially one strapped to a gurney. This thought is very troubling. While we applaud the City for its "Green" energy efforts, we are concerned that this is an idea before its time specifically for an emergency vehicle. The lack of adequate supporting infrastructure within the City limits the use and capability of the vehicle. We also have concerns about the availability of CNG during a post earthquake disaster. While we support the use of alternate "Green" fuels, we are hesitant to have emergency services rely on them before a highly reliable, widespread source of refueling is in place. We are here to serve the City, and gladly will operate the equipment provided for our use. However, based on our experiences with this vehicle, we feel that at this point the City should consider moving away from CNG use for emergency vehicles for now. Options are: 1. Convert the Unit back to gasoline. It may be possible to have the CNG Engine vendor modify the unit back to gasoline at their expense as the unit did not deliver the range they originally advised. Otherwise, there are other vendors that could accomplish this task. 2. Negotiate a buy back of the ambulance with the engine conversion vender. Potentially they could purchase back the chassis and tanks for their own reuse/resale, and we could have the Ambulance Manufacturer modify the box and remount it on a new Clean Energy Diesel chassis. This would potentially be the best option on the Public Relations side for all. Thank you for the opportunity to provide input on this vehicle. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. 4a� r1 Dorian J Cooley, Division Chief West Desert Division Riverside County Fire Department 2 MEMORANDUM Riverside County Fire Department John R. Hawkins County Fire Chief DATE: October 18, 2010 TO: Stephen Aryan, City of Palm Desert FROM: Dorian J. Cooley, Division Chief RE: CNG Performance issues As we advised at our meeting in May, the Fire Department has some concerns regarding the full -fuel range of the new CNG fueled ambulance. Our concerns cover both the apparent low fuel economy of the vehicle and the associated limited range based on the current fuel capacity. We have discovered that this fuel capacity is further reduced during hot weather, as the increased temperature reduces the net fuel capacity of the tanks. The minimum specifications generally accepted for ambulances is the Federal GSA Ambulance specification KKK-A-1822F. Within this document is the following: 3.4.8 FUEL RANGE. The ambulance shall be capable of being driven for of least 250 miles without refueling. The County EMS Agency under Ordinance 756 requires ambulances to meet these KKK-A-1822 specifications. Our ambulances are permitted by the County EMSA. There are several reasons why this range is important. First is the possibility of running back to back calls —without time between incidents for fueling. The second and equally important reason is that we are required by law to transport to the closest, most appropriate facility based on the patient's needs. Whether it is to Palm Springs for the closest Trauma Center or Colton for the closest Bum Unit — we must maintain the capability to respond, treat and transport. Thus the minimum acceptable range for ambulances has been established as 250 miles. As you can see by the attached documents, as currently configured and operating, the CNG ambulance is demonstrating well less than a third of that capacity. During the past summer months, operational range on this vehicle has dropped to as low as 82 miles. Based on this, even doubling the fuel capacity would still leave the unit deficient and below specification. After review of this issue, I am requesting that the City contact the conversion vendorfor evaluation, repair and/or modification as appropriate to bring this vehicle up to minimum specifications. If this can not be accomplished, than other options such as reconfiguration back to gasoline fuel may need to be considered. MEDIC 71 CNG AMBULANCE AUGUST 1, 2010 THRU SEPTEMBER 15, 2010 PREPARED BY JOHN PEPPLER FAE/PM N. PALM DESERT 71 STATION PALM DESERT DAYS OF SERVICE 48 TOTAL GALLONS USED 526 AVERAGE FUEL USE 9.85 GALLONS PER DAY TOTAL MILES DRIVEN 2678 FUEL STOPS 1.2 PER DAY CNG COST $2.49 PER GALLON FUEL COST $27.00/DAY AVERAGE MILES PER FILL 50.15 MILES @ 0.39 TANK OR 1311 PSI REMAINING AVERAGE MPG 5.09 MPG AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 98 DEGREES Fahrenheit when fueling TANK PSI LOW AVERAGE 1311 TANK PSI HIGH AVERAGE 3228 O/S FOR FUEL 20 TIMES AT % TANK @ 30 MINUTES =10 HOURS. RANGE EQUIVENLENTS X TANK = 20.49 MILES / 807 PSI 1/3 TANK = 27.32 MILES/1076 PSI FULL TANK RANGE 81.96 MILES NOTE: AS THE TEMPERATURES HAVE RISEN THE FILL PERCENTAGE HAS FALLEN TO 74.5% OF FILL CAPACITY PAGE 1 OF 1 MEDIC 71 CNG AMBULANCE EVALUATION 1ANUARY 22, 2010 THRU MAY 9, 2010 PREPARED BY 10HN PEPPLER FAE/PM N. PALM DESERT STATION PALM DESERT DAYS IN SERVICE 79 TOTAL GALLONS USED 1308 AVERAGE FUEL USE 16 GALLONS PER DAY TOTAL MILES DRIVEN 5750 FUEL STOPS 1.4 PER DAY CNG COST $2.49 PER GALLON FUEL COST $39.00/DAY AVERAGE MILES PER FILL 52 MILES 034 TANK OR 1500 PSI REMAINING AVERAGE MPG 4.7 MPG AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 74 DEGREES Fahrenheit TANK PSI LOW AVERAGE 1500 TANK PSI HIGH AVERAGE 3200 O/S FOR FUEL 10 HOURS UNIT OR 20 MAN HOURS (estimate) RANGE EQUIVENLENTS % TANK = 26 MILES / 800 PSI = 26 MILES @ 100% FILL NOTE., AS THE TEMPERATURES HAVE RISEN THE RANGE IS DECREASING, A FULL FILL IS 718 TANK OR 2600 PSI. THE TOTAL GALLONS PUMPED FOR A FULL TANK AVERAGED 11 GALLONS AT 1500 PSI OR 3200 PSI, NOW A FULL FILL FROM 1S00 PSI AVERAGES 6 GALLONS OR 2600 PSI. MEDIC 233 2005 FORD F350 DEISEL AMBULANCE SCE FUEL DATA COLLECTION/COMPARISON SEPTEMBER 22 THRU OCTOBER 17 2010 PREPARED BY JOHN PEPPLER FAE/PM N. PALM DESERT STATION 71 PALM DESERT DAYS EVALUATED 24 TOTAL GALLONS USED 157 AVERAGE FUEL USE 6.7 GALLONS PER DAY AVE. MILES PER DAY 60 TOTAL MILES DRIVEN 1440 FUEL STOPS 0.33 PER DAY OR ONCE FOR 3 DAY SHIFT DIESEL COST $3.29 PER GALLON FUEL COST $21.15 DAY AVERAGE MILES PER FILL 174 MILES OR M TANK AVERAGE MPG 9.17 MILES PER GALLON AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 101 DEGREES Fahrenheit TANK PSI LOW AVERAGE N/A TANK PSI HIGH AVERAGE N/A O/S FOR FUEL NONE FUEL TANK 38 GALLONS RANGE EQUIVENLENTS FULL TANK = 348 MILES PAGE 1 OF 1 M71 CNG AMBULANCE MILEAGE EVALUATION FEBRUARY 1 ST THRU FEBUARY 7TH 2O11 DAYS IN SERVICE TOTAL GALLONS TOTAL MILES AVE MILES PER FILL AVE PRESSURE BEFORE AVE PRESSURE AFTER FULL GAGE BEFORE % OF FILL FILLS PER DAY AVE TEMPERATURE MPG FULL TANK RANGE 7 102.9 551 68.8 1400 3800 0.5 (HALF TANK) 100% 1.2 69 DEGREES 5.35 MPG 136 MILES @ 100% AT 3600 PSI FILL STATION OUT OF SERVICE TIME 258 MINUTES/ 4.3 HOURS 9 TOTAL FILLS/32 MIN PER There were some improvements with the 3600 PSI fill. The range improved almost 50 miles however the percentage of fill was 100% due to cooler outside temperatures. Also 10 of these miles were driving to and from the fill station. The MPG improved only V2 gallon per mile from the January 2010 evaluation.