HOW TO BECOME A REGISTERED SMOKY VEHICLE SPOTTER

SO many people ask me all the time, how can I become a smoky vehicle spotter? Or how can I report smoky vehicles to the EPD?

On the latter question: you can report smoky vehicles to the epd, but unless you are a REGISTERED spotter, the epd has no obligation to follow up your complaint. So, then, the first question becomes even more relevant. In order to become a spotter, you must attend an official govt training session. There is approximately one four-hour chinese language saturday morning session a month held at the EMSD in kowloon bay. English training is also conducted but much less frequently.The EPD has told us that it is willing to conduct special classes (in english or chinese) for members of CAN on request, should we have sufficient demand for such sessions.WHY should YOU become a spotter? Because roadside emissions are the single biggest threat to human health and spotters can make a genuine impact on curbing those emissions. There are approximately 120,000 vehicles in HK. Approximately 1000 registered spotters a year report 10,000 smoky vehicles to the EPD.

I attended the course yesterday and it consisted of the following sections and learnings, roughly --

How Emissions are Formed;

How Smoky Vehicles are Controlled;

The Ordinance;

Number of Emission Testing Notifications Issued by the EPD; Duties of the Spotter;

Vehicle Call-up Procedure;

Cases where No Action Taken; Treatment of Govt Vehicles;

How a Diesel Engine Works;

Causes of Smoky Emissions;

How to Identify Class, Color and Body Type of Vehicle;

How to Complete the Spotter Form Correctly;

Measuring and Judging Smoky Emissions (visual assessment of HSU);

Spotter Test in Live Traffic Conditions.The HSU assessment training was done outside with a specially rigged diesel truck, the emissions from which can be increased or decreased in HSU. (An HSU is a unit of smokiness.) We watched the truck spew out different levels of emissions in order to practice our eye for violative emissions exceeding 70 HSU. After 30 minutes of such practice, which was pretty unpleasant because you stand next to an old truck emitting blasts of black smoke, we were driven to a spotting location in Wong Tai Sin -- a footbridge over a very busy stretch of highway. (This location can only be termed "Diesel Fumes Central". If it isn't obvious already, asthmatics should NOT undergo smoky vehicle spotter training!) While stationed on the footbridge looking down on fast-moving cars and trucks, our instructor called out vehicle registration numbers so we could practice spotting and get used to completing the fields on the spotting form - registration number, vehicle class, color, smoky/not smoky and body type (optional). After 15 minutes of practice, we took the official "exam" -- spotting 12 vehicles in total. While a "grade" of 100 is required to become a spotter, the main consideration is, NEVER report a marginal case where you are uncertain. In other words, do not tick the "smoky" box on the form unless you are 100% sure that the emissions exceed 70 HSUs. That said, it is practically impossible to flunk the test unless you sleep through the training session!Although I underwent spotter training in order to give feedback to the EPD on how to streamline the training process (see below), I ended up thoroughly enjoying the training session and came away enriched by the course material and encyclopedic knowledge of our instructor.Thus, I encourage you, a member of the general public, to become a registered spotter if you want to make a genuine impact on our air quality.You can either apply directly to the government for a place at the next open training session (a process which can take months)http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/howhelp/reportpollution/spotter_training.htmlORSend an email to info@hongkongcan.org and we will let you know of upcoming spotter training sessions organized by CAN.

Below is my email to the EPD on how they could potentially shorten the training process to motivate more people to become registered spotters. Who knows whether or if the EPD will take my comments into account to modify or shorten the training process. Thus, I encourage you to go ahead and sign up for training NOW, instead of waiting.

-----Original Message-----

From: "Joanne Ooi (Clean Air Network)" < joanneooican@gmail.com>

Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 09:50:36

Subject: Recap and comments re: smoky vehicle spotter training of 12/12/09

First, I want to say that I was very impressed by Mr. Wong's knowledge and manner in today's session. I asked many questions, for which he had immediate very helpful answers. On top of that, he was an engaging and sociable instructor. Indeed, I can even go so far as to say that today's session was not just greatly illuminating but surprisingly fun.

HOWEVER, based on my careful notes and attention to the apportionment between the different learning modules, I would like to make the following observations, which I hope you will find helpful in possibly streamlining the training sessions:After going through the entire process, it is obvious that there is no substitute for real-time, in-person assessment and classification of real-life smoky emissions and vehicles. It is impossible to simulate this testing and assessment situation online or otherwise. This real-life testing situation moreover engraved in my mind the rule, "when in doubt, do NOT report!"Prior to the visual assessment of HSUs conducted outside with a real truck's exhaust, however, all the lecture material could have been read (and memorized) in advance by attendees prior to the training session. This information is extremely interesting and valuable. (Without citing the specific titles of each powerpoint slide, I refer to How Emissions are Formed, How Smoky Vehicles are Controlled, The Ordinance, Number of Emission Testing Notifications, Duties of the Spotter, Vehicle Call-up Procedure, Cases where No Action Taken, Treatment of Govt Vehicles, How a Diesel Engine Works, Causes of Smoky Emissions, How to Identify Class, Color and Body Type of Vehicle, and How to Complete the Spotter Form Correctly.) But there is no reason it cannot be summarized in a downloadable pdf and studied by would-be spotters in advance. Regarding the class, color, body type and characteristics of vehicles, which must be mastered by spotters: although it was fun to learn this information in class together, this information can undoubtedly be mastered beforehand, and even tested online through very simple tools and documents.By putting the first half of the session's teachings online, one could HALVE the training session time. Indeed, the powerpoint for these teachings (the first half's) already exists. (It is the same one which was used by Mr. Wong, today, of course.) Regarding how to identify class, body type and color of vehicles, it would not be difficult to create some simple online materials for the would-be spotter: these could be simple powerpoints of vehicle images with an answer key at the back comprised of correctly completed spotter forms corresponding to the vehicles pictured.The key, of course, to LESS hand-holding during the live teaching session would be stricter testing at the live, in-person EMSD session in a real-life traffic situation. Obviously, THAT would be the real test of whether the spotter-student had actually mastered the requisite material IN ADVANCE. The current testing situation, due to the variability of traffic conditions, is quite relaxed. Possibly, the EPD could consider slightly more rigorous testing to ensure that students had genuinely mastered the course material, if there was a concern about absorption of the required information prior to the EMSD training sessions.What the EPD cares about, after all, is the RESULT -- greater accuracy in spotting -- rather than compulsory attendance of a lengthy training session.That said, however, it would be ideal if spotters had the OPTION of self-learning OR being taught live at the EMSD for the sections I listed above. Spotters who had prepared in advance could attend the second half of the session, while spotters desirous of the classroom teaching experience could attend the entire session, from beginning to end.A final note --

The current training material and powerpoint could be strengthened in 2 important ways:

1) Greater explanation of how smoky emissions affect human and public health. Indeed, I was surprised to learn today that 10,000 smoky vehicle reports are filed each year! That is a staggering number considering the overall number of diesel vehicles in Hong Kong. The ratio of spotted vehicles (approximately 10,000) to the overall diesel "population" (120,000) means that smoky vehicle spotters (of which only 1000 are active of the total number of 5000 registered spotters) are playing a genuinely significant role in curbing toxic roadside emissions from commercial vehicles.

2) Slightly more emphasis on the importance of the smoky vehicle report -- that it is a binding LEGAL document. You had emphasized this point to me repeatedly at our meeting. This point reinforces the importance of precision and conscientiousness when submitting a report.CAN is very willing to assist the EPD to streamline the process by helping to compile the necessary materials and lend manpower to this initiative. It is very much in CAN's interests to see more members of the public become smoky vehicle spotters since roadside emissions presently pose the greatest threat to human health.I hope that my comments will be taken in a constructive spirit. It is CAN's intention to function as the EPD's partner in educating and informing the Hong Kong public about roadside emissions (and their adverse health consequences) and, of course, reducing such emissions.Sincerely,

Joanne Ooi

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Joanne Ooi

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