Some first responders in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are being increasingly affected by rising fuel prices, according to NBC DFW.
MedStar Mobile Healthcare, the ambulance service for Fort Worth and 14 other member communities in Tarrant County, has seen a significant increase in its monthly fuel expense.
“We don’t have the option of not using fuel,” said Matt Zavadsky, MedStar’s chief strategic integration officer. “We respond to 500 or 600 911 calls a day, and it’s not like we can just stop going to calls. We have to go.”
In May last year, MedStar spent over $96,000 on gasoline, compared to the roughly $230,000 it spent this May, according to Zavadsky.
In exchange for a discount on gasoline, MedStar has agreed to purchase all of its fuel from QuikTrip. Still, even with the discount, the ambulance service’s gasoline expenses are soaring.
MedStar is currently able to pay the rising gasoline costs through its reserve funding, but it is not a long-term solution.
The ambulance service could soon have to determine which 911 calls are considered lower priority and which are more critical.
“It’s not something that anybody wants to have to do, but if you cannot do it any other way, that might have to be part of the mitigation strategy,” Zavadsky explained.
Luckily, last summer, Dallas County secured a long-term gasoline contract to service the 900 vehicles operating in its fleet across 28 county agencies, including the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department. That agreement guaranteed a fuel price that is presently far lower than the average per gallon.
The statewide average price of unleaded gasoline is $4.65 per gallon as of June 20, according to AAA.
For a little more than $2.4 million, the county obtained a three-year contract with a vendor to purchase fuel, including nearly 600,000 gallons of unleaded gasoline. Dallas County pays around $1.92 per gallon due to this arrangement.
