Device helping Westland lower carbon emissions from vehicles

By Robin Schwartz
Fox 2 News

WESTLAND, Mich. (WJBK) -- Fire trucks in the Wayne-Westland Fire Department rack up plenty of miles.  They go on 14,000 emergency runs a year.  Now the department has some of the greenest rigs around.

At least a dozen vehicles in the city of Westland look and sound like the rest, but they're cleaner and greener thanks to a device called a diesel oxidation catalyst or D.O.C.

"It lowers the carbon emissions that are coming out.  One of the things we've been trying to do in the city of Westland over the last several years is lower the city's carbon footprint, and this is going to go a long way towards that," said Mayor William Wild.

The exhaust control devices were retrofitted onto the vehicles through a project verified by the Environmental Protection Agency.  The money to do this, $27,000, came from a private Wayne County company cited for an environmental violation.  The unnamed company took part in the clean diesel project as part of its penalty to help reduce pollution.

The city also has diesel oxidation catalysts on seven dump trucks in the Public Works Department, and they're working on grants with the hope of getting the devices installed on a hundred more vehicles.

"All the new trucks come with this new, updated emissions, but as budgets are tighter, we're having to hold onto these fire trucks and dump trucks longer," Wild said.

The mayor says the devices currently installed will lower the carbon output of these trucks by five and a half tons over ten years.  They will also save the city 10 to 15 percent on fuel costs.

The Wayne and Westland fire departments merged last July as part of a money saving measure.

To learn more about the clean diesel program, visit www.sdevweb.org.