Peak Oil Task Force Report - City of Bloomington - State of Indiana

FIRE DEPARTMENT
The City’s Fire Department provides fire suppression, emergency medical services, and
rescue services for vehicle accidents and other rescue needs. The Department provides
community protection at all times.
The Department employs 107 full‐time firefighters and maintains five fire stations. It has
23 vehicles of which six are fire trucks. The Fire
Department’s six pumpers, two aerial trucks,
one brush truck, one confined space truck, and
three rescue trucks all run on B20 biodiesel.
The Department’s ten remaining vehicles are
used for administrative purposes and run on
gasoline. In 2008, the Department made
approximately 3,300 runs. Approximately 37%
of those were for rescue or emergency medical
services. At minimum, the department estimates that it needs a minimum of 22,000 gallons
of biodiesel to provide services.
VULNERABILIES
1. The Police Department relies on the availability of gasoline to keep our
community safe and is significantly exposed to cost increases.
As one of the most fuel‐consumptive departments, the Police Department is perhaps one of
the most vulnerable to a decline in cheap oil. At the present moment, the Department
would not be able to fulfill its duties without gasoline.
2. The Fire Department relies on B20 biodiesel and is largely exposed to cost
increases.
B20 is a fuel blend composed of 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel. 99
99 National Biodiesel Board, Biodiesel Basics, http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/biodiesel_basics/.
Report of the Bloomington Peak Oil Task Force
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