More than 2,000 vehicles that support the delivery of a wide range of public services fall under the purview of the City of New Orleans’ Equipment Maintenance Division (EMD). To support the agency with the management of the fleet system, FUSE executive fellow Monica Soileau worked with the EMD to evaluate existing management practices and identify opportunities to improve productivity and efficiency.
Monica conducted a thorough assessment of the EMD’s operations, including on-site observations and a detailed gap analysis to uncover what needed the most attention in order of priority. Monica also identified and secured a $500,000 grant to help the city reduce ambulance emissions, fuel usage, and required maintenance via a solar panel-based idling mitigation system, which has since been installed on 18 ambulances. Together these changes are expected to strengthen employee morale, lower costs, and reduce the city’s overall carbon footprint.
