Commissioners Banish Excessive Vehicle Idling

BROOKSVILLE - Idling was outlawed by county commissioners Tuesday in the latest move to cut back on rising gas expenses.

The new "No-Idle" policy lays out several steps employees should take to avoid running a county vehicle longer than necessary. For example, the engines of service delivery should be turned off while making deliveries.

Fleet Manager Jack Stepongzi drafted the local policy after noticing the no-idle practice was growing in popularity around the state. Purchasing Director James Gantt backed him up.

"We're talking about common sense," Gantt told commissioners during a meeting Tuesday. The measure passed unanimously.

Two of the county departments that use long idles are the fire department and sheriff's office.

Fire Chief Mike Nickerson said he was all for implementing the new policy among his fleet, but emergency vehicles are an exception.

Typically, fire engines and ambulances keep their flashing lights on while at the scene of an emergency. The engine is kept running because the lights would otherwise drain the battery, Nickerson said.

Similarly, medical personnel keep an ambulance running to maintain a cool temperature inside for patients.

The sheriff's chief deputy, Michael Hensley, said fuel-saving measure were already in discussion before the Tuesday's agenda. Like the fire department, using lights without the engine running quickly drains the battery, he said.

Keeping deputies safe from the heat requires them to keep their cars running while working accidents or filling out paperwork, Hensley said.

"I can't put out a black and white policy" that states when to turn off cars, he said, "but when possible we will encourage" cutting back on idling. The policy does not spell out specific exemptions for brevity's sake, but Gantt said after the meeting that those examples meet the criteria.

The point of the policy is to cut back on idling for convenience's sake, not what falls under operational needs, he said.

The guidelines illustrate what he means by "convenience":

• Drivers are to turn off their vehicles as soon as possible when they reach a job site.

• Idling time should be limited to the weather conditions; 1 to 3 minutes in warm weather and 3 to 5 minutes in cold weather (40 degrees and below).

Other exceptions include conditions that would affect the health and safety of employees (such as extreme weather) and idling in traffic.

In regards to savings, a six-cylinder diesel that idles for 30 minutes a day - with fuel at $4.25 per gallon - wastes more than $1,600 a year, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. A six-cylinder engine light vehicle would waste about $800 annually. Stepongzi said he will look at monthly fuel usage reports to see if the policy is making an impact. All new diesel trucks, from model year 2009, will be equipped with an onboard computer to track idle time.