U.S. EPA Honors Joe Senecal

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has honored Dr. Joseph Senecal with a Climate Protection Award for his role in the development and implementation of the Fire Protection Industry's voluntary code of practice to protect the climate by minimizing emissions of hydro-fluorocarbons (HFC) fire protection agents and the development of a method to measure HFC emissions by the fire protection industry.

Joe is the Director of Combustion Research Center, an ISO 17025 Accredited Laboratory located in Holliston, MA. The Combustion Research Center, an operating business of UTC Fire & Security, provides standard and customized test/research services to meet specific product and process safety requirements.

Joe was one of only six individuals and nine organizations to receive the 2009 EPA Climate Protection Award at the EPA’s Annual Awards Ceremony, held Tuesday, April 21, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The event recognized contributions made to the restoration and protection of the Earth’s Ozone Layer and Climate System.

According to the agency's summary, "Joseph took the lead in conceptualizing, developing, and implementing a novel voluntary industry program called HEEP (HFC Emissions Estimating Program) to collect data on the emissions of HFC fire extinguishing agents for all causes." Working with the associations, Joe convinced companies selling HFC fire extinguishing agents to voluntarily measure and report their sales of HFC agent for system or product recharge use. His efforts now make it possible to monitor the impact of practices aimed at minimizing HFC agent emissions.

Data on emissions from equipment using HFC fire-extinguishing agents have now been collected for a six-year period. The data indicates that the industry's efforts have been successful. Emissions of HFC agents were in the range of 0.14 to 0.17 million metric tons of carbon-equivalent (MMTCE) between 2002 to 2007 period, below levels projected by an EPA model, and were leveling off over the past four years.

Such detailed insight into an industry's HFC emissions would not have been possible without the creation and successful implementation of the HEEP program by Joe Senecal.