By Burton Speakman
The Daily News, Bowling Green, Ky.
ALVATON, Ky. — Area volunteer fire departments are joining consumers in taking steps to cut fuel usage.
Rising fuel costs is an issue that impacts every part of government, said Chief Jon Lam of the Alvaton Volunteer Fire Department.
Alvaton has the second largest number of runs of the volunteer departments in Warren County, so fuel has been a big concern with the rising cost of diesel, he said.
The department still has money in its fuel budget after increasing it from last year, Lam said. But if fuel costs continue to increase, the department will probably go over its fuel budget again.
“We’ve already spent 20 to 25 percent more on fuel. We’ve spent almost $10,000 on fuel this year,” he said.
The biggest burden is the cost to volunteers to drive their personal vehicles to calls, Lam said.
The department is considering working to have the fire stations staffed whenever possible so firefighters wouldn’t have to make a several-mile drive to the station for a call, he said.
Raising the fuel budget for the current year came at the cost of being able to purchase equipment for the department, Lam said. This includes new gear for firefighters.
“It’s not a crisis, but it’s definitely a concern,” Lam said.
There hasn’t been a big impact yet in terms of the number of volunteers responding to calls, he said, although fewer volunteers are responding to minor fire calls, said Dave Wilkinson, Alvaton’s assistant fire chief.
Alvaton has also seen increased travel costs because of the dividing wall along Interstate 65. Alvaton staffs calls in the southbound lanes into Simpson County and the Franklin-Simpson County Fire Department responds on northbound calls because of the limited number of places for fire trucks to turn around, Wilkinson said.
“That means we could respond to calls all the way down to the Kentucky-Tennessee line,” he said.
The Smiths Grove Volunteer Fire Department has been fortunate this year to have fewer calls for service, which has offset rising costs of fuel, said Assistant Chief Steve Wilson.
Fuel costs will become an issue if the call volume increases, he said.
The department is not as worried about volunteer response to calls despite the fact that Smiths Grove has a large district, Wilson said.
“Most of our firefighters live within a mile or two of the station,” he said.
The Gott Volunteer Fire Department is only about $300 over last year’s fuel budget despite more calls for service, said Chief Craig Peay, who also serves as Warren County volunteer fire department coordinator.
“We are conserving. When a call comes out for multiple units, we’re sending one immediately and waiting for the other to make sure it’s needed,” he said.
This effort has also led to quicker response times initially, Peay said.
Some relief for volunteer firefighters and departments could come from state legislators.
Volunteer firefighters are still waiting on legislation that would allow them to purchase fuel without paying state taxes.
The tax of 18.5 cents on gasoline and 16 cents on diesel would not be a big help with diesel selling for $4.60 a gallon, but every bit helps, Lam said.
“Our local legislators have lobbied for the bill over the last several years,” he said. “We’re still waiting.”
Bob Skipper, chief of the Woodburn Volunteer Fire Department, said his largest concern is the cost for volunteers to take their own vehicles to calls and to mandated training.
In addition to the tax legislation, there have also been proposals over the last few years that would provide general tax relief for certified volunteers, Skipper said. Tax relief legislation also has not passed.
“We’ve already made a point to tell volunteers to report to the station if at all possible so they can use department trucks, not only to respond, but to lower their fuel costs,” he said.
At this point, no volunteers have said that the cost of fuel is preventing them from responding in Woodburn, Skipper said.
Copyright 2008 Bowling Green Daily News