Natural gas is now widely used as a fuel for transit buses. It has properties that are different from those of diesel fuel, resulting in a different set of potential hazards. Transit agencies that use natural gas require emergency procedures that address and mitigate those hazards. These procedures must take into consideration the different groups that may respond to a transit emergency, including firefighters and other emergency responders, transit employees, and even the general public. In most respects, transit experience with natural gas has been successful, but there are some situations for which improved emergency procedures have been needed. Some procedures need to be more fully developed; in several cases, additional information is needed to facilitate such development. Moreover, communication of the procedures to emergency responders represents a continuing challenge. The use of the Incident Command System is now widespread in the fire service, and additional effort is needed to integrate transit emergency response procedures into that system. This synthesis was undertaken to identify and document the state of the practice about emergency response protocols to incidents involving natural gas-filled transit buses. (Author/publisher)
Abstract