High gas prices impact volunteer fire departments
NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) — As gas prices reach a new high, drivers and first responders are adjusting to afford fuel.
Some volunteer fire departments and ambulance services have been forced to cut back on certain things, including driving emergency vehicles for non-emergency reasons.
According to AAA, Pennsylvania's average price for regular gas is $4.99 a gallon and diesel is $6.18 per gallon. The average in Pittsburgh is $4.91 for regular and $6 for diesel.
The highest gas price KDKA-TV saw on Tuesday was $5.09 for regular and $6.19 for diesel at a gas station in Penn Hills.
"Just gotta move around, adjust to it and keep going, you can't stop, I'm not going to stop going to work because the price of gas is high," said Brent Johnson, who was getting gas on Pittsburgh's South Side on Tuesday.
"It's really hard to come up to the pump and set out and say, 'I'll have $10 on Pump 2,"' said Abigail McGinty, who was putting gas in her car on the South Side on Tuesday.
The new record-high gas prices are hurting nearly everyone, from commuters to first responders.
"Unfortunately, we're all suffering," New Kensington Fire Chief Ed Saliba said.
Saliba said between their five volunteer stations, they have six pumpers, a ladder truck and 10 other support vehicles. He said the funds for gas come from a line item in the city's budget, which was set months ago.
"We're very blessed how well our city takes care of our fire department, yet it's a pinch that we're all feeling right now. ... Our fleet uses a considerable amount of fuel. Most of the driving has been curtailed, only in emergency purposes," Saliba said.
He said his department has been cutting back on things like driver's training, which is typically training for new members to learn how to drive fire station vehicles.
"Right now, those things have been set aside. Hopefully, in the fall, things can slow down a bit and the prices will come down," Saliba said.
Saliba added that prices have gone up for everything needed to run a fire department.
Meanwhile, many volunteer firefighters pay out of pocket to fill their personal cars, which they use quite often to go to meetings and training. Despite these challenges, Saliba said they're always ready to respond to emergencies.
"We have a lot of dedicated volunteers who are driving back and forth, and I haven't heard one of them complain, but still they are feeling the pinch as well," Saliba said.
Saliba said New Kensington's Ambulance Corp. pays for its own fuel and runs trips all over the area. He said even with reimbursements through Medicare and Medicaid, it's not covering the high fuel prices.
Ross/West View EMS told KDKA-TV that it is impacted by high gas prices as well, and it is limiting what it does outside of 911 calls.