BEND, OR — One year after converting patrol vehicles to propane autogas, the Polk County Sheriff’s office reports significant fuel savings and reduced emissions.
Since converting 10 patrol vehicles in March 2013, that department reports saving $25,000 in fuel costs.
Those kind of savings have caught the attention of counties in Central Oregon.
Captian Erik Utter oversees the automotive division of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.
“You know one of the biggest expenses that we incur annually is fuel. We cover a lot of geography, and we’ve got a lot vehicles in our fleet. In fact, our patrol vehicles put on about a million miles a year.”
He says that the department is looking into the possibility of converting to propane, and is weighing the cost against the possible benefit. One concern is the price trend for the fuel.
“We want to make sure that there wouldn’t be any alarming trends in terms of those costs,” says Utter. “There’s certainly a conversion cost so we also have to look at how quickly we recycle our fleet.”
Sergeant Mark Garton with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office had strongly recommended that other departments follow his departments example, saying that the savings could make the difference between budget reductions and keeping members at full-time pay.