![]() ![]() With lots of them around the country now, I'm hard pressed to say 'no, you can't do it here.' '' The safety system blanketed the island with fire-retardant powder in seconds and had the fire out before the fire engines arrived.''Ĭhief Joseph McDonough, of the Portland Fire Department, says of the unmanned station: ''It would be easy to say no, no, no, because it's something different, but I don't think that's the best route. ''The car yanked out the pump and the electrical short started a fire. He cites a recent example of a woman who drove off with the fuel nozzle still in her gas tank: Bissit says all safety components were carefully tested, approved by Underwriters Laboratories, and most of the fire chiefs agreed the flame sensors and extinguishers in each service island were ''state-of-the-art protection.'' Wright, Maine fire chiefs, and the company installing the equipment. Maine approved the automated fuel station after long discussions with A. Maine's state fire marshal, Don Bissit, says Maine fire chiefs have approached the issue very cautiously and on a case-by-case basis. I'm surprised the state fire marshal permits it.'' ''Gasoline should not be handled like milk or soft drinks, where you put in your quarter and get a Coke. ''And no facility should be unattended,'' he says. ''They are advantageous only to the owners, who get their money back faster. ''They are appearing, but I'm not particularly impressed with them,'' says Vic Rasheed, executive director of the Service Station Dealers of America in Washington, D.C. Others are not so sure the unmanned, self-service gas stations are the answer. There is even a 24-hour ''help button'' connected to a speakerphone that customers can use to get advice on how to use the equipment. Wright claims its software program in NCR's 1830 terminal can pinpoint fuel theft in commercial fleets and misuse of company vehicles, monitor engine efficiency, prevent unauthorized use of the credit cards, save clerical time, and produce round-the-clock service. Wright Oil Company of Portland and the NCR Corporation say their joint development, the Wright Express, is the fuel station of the future. * Get a receipt with a detailed analysis of the engine's fuel efficiency. * Fill their vehicle's gas tank 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. By inserting a special card into an automatic terminal and punching in several identification numbers and an odometer reading, some Portland drivers now can: The latest high-tech credit card trick has paved the way for an unmanned gas station in Portland, Maine. ![]()
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