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what are your feelings about the DEF exhaust system on a Fire Apparatus
We purchased a new 2013 Kenworth 2000 gallon Tanker. We picked it up in Dec of 2012 and wasn't able to use it until March 2013 due to a problem with the DEF system. we took it to 5 different places via the dealers request. We are a small dept and only run about 120 responses a year. we have a lot of area and a major highway that runs through it. We were told that we had to run the truck for about 30 minutes at normal speed on the open highway once in a while. We did this once a month and it hasn't helped our tanker is back in the dealers shop for the same reason DEF System. I have asked surrounding Departments about their trucks. they had some problems also and a couple Departments have had to run their trucks once a week for the 30 minutes or more. With the cost of fuel and man hours that have to go into trying to prevent this problem it is to much for volunteer and paid departments to have to pay. I feel that it should be taken to proper authorities to develope a bill to allow all Fire Apparatus to be exempt from this regulation. What is your opinion?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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I feel that emergency vehicles really should be exempted from having to use a regen system due to the the specific use of emergency vehicles
Pretty much any other person in the fire service thinks the same way, the issue is about cost. Fire apparatus manufacturers are just putting in the same engines as they would for a similar OTR trucks. To have seperate exemptions for emergency vehicles will add more to the overall cost of a truck as opposed to dealing with the headaches with REGEN etc.
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Permalink Reply by Jason Hawes on
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I agree with Crabbe. Most, if not all government vehicles do not have to comply with specific standards required for POV's so I do not see any reason why the Fire Dept can't achieve the same exemption.
The replacement particulate filter cost is astronomical, the wasted expense for extra fuel or DEF and the down time for service is uncalled for.
All of the extra exhaust equipment is easily removable and with a little reprogramming, these quality diesel engines could run like champions.
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Permalink Reply by Larry Curtis on
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Thank you Jason. enough said..
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Thank you John, This just adds to my thoughts of why shouldn't emergency vehicles be exempt. the over the road trucks have the time and are driven long hours and the regen system can do what it is suppose to do. but it is still an expensive operating system for the truck driver/companies.
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Permalink Reply by Marc Hansen on
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Larry,
Here is a link for a document stating that dedicated fire trucks and ambulances are exempt. The memo is dated May 2012 and states that the manufacturer has to ask for permission to build exempt engines. Might want to question everyone involved in building your truck why that wasn't done. Let me know what you find out.
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Marc, thank you . I will give this to the chief I think it might help...
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would like to thank everyone who replied. from all the answers we were able to find some regulations that may exempt emergency vehicles from having to have this def system on our Tanker. we have sent the paperwork into the dealer and he has forwarded it to the manufacture so they could review it and possibility help with the problem. I'm sure that there will be a lot of paperwork to do but it will be worth it. again thank you for your help.
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Let us know what it takes to finally get your truck running the way its supposed to.
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Thanks will do. we have the paperwork to the dealer and manufacture. during these discussions and talking to different people they mentioned when specking out a new veh that maybe we should try to get the epa to authorize it not be installed and maybe help cut the cost of the veh a little.
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Up-date 5-5-14. as of today we haven't herd anything from the environmental agency about exempting fire trucks from DEF systems. the area rep from Kenworth has also been trying to get an answer and hasn't as of today. looks like an long up-hill struggle ahead. again thanks for all the input I received.
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