Emergency responders are finding the high prices of gas is changing how they do things. Across the US, with the average cost for a gallon of fuel being at around $5, different departments are thinking of ways to try to save a couple dollars, whether it be to avoid busting budgets, or to ensure there will be enough left in the tank for when critical emergencies happen, according to an article in Newsweek.
In Michigan, the Isabella County Sheriff’s Office is switching to shift minor issues to be addressed only with calls, rather than by sending someone on site. Says Sheriff Michael Main to Newsweek, “I have instructed the deputies to attempt to manage whatever calls are acceptable over the phone. This would be non-in-progress calls, non-life-threatening calls, calls that do not require evidence collection or documentation.” Main notes calls involving active suspects will still result in a deputy being sent out.
In Illinois, fire departments and emergency responders are feeling the pinch. Says Franklin County Emergency Management Director Ryan Buckingham to Newsweek, “Our agency conducts a wide range of both emergency and non-emergency activities each year. And, unfortunately due to the rising gas prices, we have had to issue new policy guidance on limiting some activities to make sure that we are able to manage our budget appropriately.”
Services in areas of Pennsylvania have also felt pressures to cut back on driving, as noted by assistant director for the Ross/West View Emergency Medical Services Authority, Greg Porter. Says Porter to Newsweek, the authority “certainly will be over budget probably by the end of July, which means the last five months of the year would be fuel expense that was not budgeted. That would require us to shift money from other line items and not purchase things we may have otherwise purchased, like training equipment or furniture for the station, or uniforms or things like that. Items that we may have budgeted that we’d like to have are gonna have to take a back seat to make sure the trucks stay on the road.”
Source:
https://www.newsweek.com/outrageous-gas-prices-sparking-emergency-response-changes-across-us-1714464
