DAQ Names Employee, Team of the Year

Mobile sources staff swept the top honors at the Division of Air Quality's fourth Employee Recognition Awards ceremony in February. The 2002 DAQ Employee of the Year award was won by Mike Simms, an environmental engineer with the Mobile Sources Branch, Technical Services Section.

In addition to the Employee of the Year award, Simms was part of the Mobile Sources' OBD2 Analyzer Certification Team, which won the 2002 Team of the Year award. Other members of the team included: Paul Gordey, an environmental engineer; Gene Mesley, an environmental specialist; and Donnie Redmond, supervisor of the Mobile Sources Branch.

All of the winners in the 2002 DAQ Employee Recognition Awards were involved in testing the new OBD system for inspecting emissions controls on cars and trucks. The system uses the "on board diagnostics," or OBD, computers installed on all new cars since 1996 to determine whether vehicles' emissions controls are working properly.

Previously, emissions were tested using a probe that directly measured pollutants in a vehicle's exhaust. The new testing method is considered a vast improvement because it monitors all emissions systems over the course of a year, instead of providing an annual 30-second glimpse of two pollutants. Mobil sources staff worked long hours over the past year to ensure that OBD testing was available by October 1, 2002.

Employee of the Year 2002, Mike Simms

Team of the Year 2002, Mobile Sources' OBD2 Analyzer Certification Team

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