Published: May 09, 2008 12:39 pm         

High prices hurting those trying to help

The nearly $4 a gallon spike in gas prices have caused some people to change summer vacation plans and eating habits, but when it comes to emergency services, fire trucks, police cars and ambulance runs can’t be altered due to the rising cost of fuel.

While considering the rising cost of food, some folks may decide to purchase fewer products, buy store brands or simply cut down on dining out.

But when a 911 call is made, emergency officials can’t stop and ponder the cost it takes to make a run. Morehead Fire Chief Brad Wade said the fire station’s budget is presently doing well but the cost of fuels has certainly caused him to consider future funding.

“We did budget for the increase, but we didn’t expect the price to go so high,” he said. “If it continues to rise, then we will have to take funds allocated for other purposes to keep the trucks on the road. We have to take care of the fuel costs, because we can’t run the trucks without it. When we are called out, we can’t consider how high fuel is - we just go.”

Morehead Police is no exception when it comes to responding to emergency calls or patrolling the streets. Chief Mike Adams said he and all the officers continue to be proactive in the community while also remaining conscious to the rising cost of fuel.

He said although drive-offs at local gas stations are nothing unusual, he has seen more incidents since gas took such a hike. “It used to be $5 and $10 drive-offs, now it’s $40 and $50,” he commented. “I will say the local merchants are doing a good job with preventing gas thieves by making most of their pumps pre-pay.”

Adams said the MPD would continue to work to keep the community safe while taking extra steps to conserve fuel. “We believe in being proactive,” he said. “We think if we are out visible on the streets and patrolling, we will prevent a lot more crime. Although the officers have been told to do what they can to eliminate any waste in fuel.”

Some examples of how the MPD is approaching the high price of gas include not warming cars prior to take off, keeping tires inflated properly, additional foot patrolling in the downtown area and carpooling on slow nights.

“We just can’t sit back and let things come to us,” he said. “We will do what we can not to waste anything and get the most out of the taxpayers buck, but we when get a call we have to be there.”

Likewise, when a car wreck happens or someone believes they could be having a heart attack at 2 a.m., the Rowan County EMS will respond regardless of fuel costs.

Director Danny Blevins said the diesel crunch has put EMS into a tight situation, but despite the cost, he said no services would be decreased.

“We have been trying to prepare for the high prices of fuel for the past two years,” he said. “But we didn’t really expect things to get this bad. We do a lot of transfers to St. Claire and to other hospitals such as in Lexington and Louisville. We have a base rate and a per-loaded mile that we bill the insurance companies. We did raise the mileage rate to offset the price of diesel. However, we try not to put on the taxpayers anymore than we have to.”

In spite of fuel prices, Blevins said any transport that is medically necessary would be taken care of. “When a call comes in to us, we just go. We can’t sit and be concerned about the price of fuel. The community depends on us – and they always can,” Blevins added.