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How gas prices are affecting emergency responders in Arkansas

Crews are limiting their non-emergency and non-training travel in emergency vehicles.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — While the national gas prices have been going down a little bit over the past few weeks, they are still much higher than the prices we were seeing a year ago. 

The prices are impacting more than our wallets. It is also making an impact on emergency responders.  

The Fayetteville Fire Department says for the last few months they’ve had to reevaluate how they do things.   

Assistant Fire Chief Willie Watts says they are asking their crews to limit non-emergency and non-training travel in the vehicles. This means that in the past, firefighters might run to the store a few times on their shifts to get things needed, but now they don’t. They’ve asked all on a shift to compile one big list so there’s only one trip to the store. 

“From time to time the fire chief and other counterparts make deliveries throughout the day just to try and battle the fuel prices because as you know those firetrucks are a pretty good size and they don’t get very good fuel mileage,” said Watts. 

They have a set budget from taxpayers' dollars and just because prices have gone up doesn’t mean their budget has. When it comes to fire trucks, they aren’t exactly fuel-friendly, so one of the biggest changes they’ve had to make is turning some firetrucks off while on the scene of a fire.

“What we can do is the ones that aren’t actively used— pumping water or things like that— we are simply shutting those down and letting them sit, whereas normally we would leave them running,” said Watts. 

This means that some firefighters won’t be coming back to an airconditioned car after being in a burning building in 60 pounds of gear.

“Shutting fire trucks down at emergency scenes has never occurred before,” said Watts.

According to Watts, these adjustments are necessary to keep from cutting back on funding for training.

We also heard from Rogers Fire Department and Fayetteville Police Department who say they haven’t had to make changes yet but are being mindful of conserving gas during this time.

RELATED: Average prices of gas in Arkansas fell 8.2 cents in the last week

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