SCIENTIFIC JUSTIFICATION OF METHODS FOR REDUCING THE CARBON FOOTPRINT AND ACHIEVING CLIMATE NEUTRALITY OF A FIRE ENGINE FLEET AS A SOURCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The study aims to provide a scientific justification for methods to reduce the carbon footprint and achieve climate neutrality of a fire engine fleet as a significant source of environmental impact, using the Krasnoyarsk Territory as a case study. A set of methods was applied, including statistical analysis of the fleet structure, experimental measurements of exhaust smoke opacity, and assessment of climate impact considering the global warming potential of short-lived climate forcers. It was found that the fire engine fleet of the Krasnoyarsk Territory is characterized by a significant proportion (43 %) of outdated Euro-0 and Euro-1 class vehicles, which form the baseline environmental load. For the first time, a regression dependence of exhaust smoke opacity on the total mileage (R² = 0,74) has been identified and statistically substantiated, forming the basis for a predictive emissions management method. The total annual carbon footprint from the fleet of outdated diesel fire engines was quantitatively assessed at 7,734 tons of CO₂-equivalent. A key finding is that the contribution of short-lived climate forcers (soot and NOₓ) exceeds the direct impact of CO₂ by more than 2.5 times. The scientific novelty lies in the development of a comprehensive methodology that integrates operational and technical parameters of fire engine use with an assessment of their full climate impact, which has not previously been applied to EMERCOM special equipment. The practical significance consists in creating a toolkit to support management decisions on the ecological transformation of the fleet, including priority vehicle renewal and optimization of maintenance to reduce the carbon footprint.