WJAC in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, reports on consequences of higher gas prices on emergency medical responders
“We're going to have to re-look at the budget and see where we're going to pull money from for fuel and maintenance”
Published
This post is part of a series chronicling news coverage of rising prices in the United States. See more here.
Citation
From a June 6, 2026, video posted to the YouTube channel of WJAC
SEAN EILER (CO-ANCHOR): First responders are now starting to feel the impact of high gas prices.
JEN JOHNSON (CO-ANCHOR): The men and women who keep you safe are telling us today that this year there will have to be budget cuts to be able to pay for gas. Brock Owens is hearing from several responders and tells us more of what they're saying. Brock?
BROCK OWENS (REPORTER): Services alike are relied on by the community to quickly help in emergencies, and they say now just getting to the scene is costing them nearly double, and it's straining their budgets.
It's not just when you fill your car up. Gas prices are impacting everyone, including now our first responders. At West Hills Fire Department, Chief Kevin Schrock says even though they have contracted help paying for their fuel, the diesel the trucks run on has jumped about $1.50 per gallon for them to pay.
KEVIN SCHROCK (WEST HILLS FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF): Our prices did increase over the last month, just like everyone else's, if not two months. And, you know, we're going to have to make, you know, budgetary changes moving forward to assist with that.
BROCK: It's also ambulance crews feeling the impact. While some ambulances run on diesel and others on standard gas, much like fire trucks, they aren't very fuel efficient.
TREVOR LAMBERT (HUNTINGDON MEDIC): With diesel being over $6 a gallon, sometimes just to fill an ambulance up from half a tank to a full tank is upwards of $150.
BROCK: And that's leading to budgets quickly running out, not even halfway through the year.
ERIC MILLER (FOREST HILLS AMBULANCE MANAGER): Currently we're at about three-fourths of the budgeted amount for fuel, so we're going to have to re-look at the budget and see where we're going to pull money from for fuel and maintenance for the rest of the year.
BROCK: Ambulance services also tell me almost all the money they get is from transporting people from calls, saying they are not funded by the government at all.
MILLER: It's hard because we run on such a tight budget to begin with, you know, we're not looking at a lot of excess money at the end of the year. Most ambulance services have a zero budget when it comes to the end of the year.
BROCK: They say there's one goal to get through these times.
LAMBERT: I would say solely to be able to provide the standing patient care without interfering with our budget.
BROCK: And officials add that most local emergency services are likely open to either donations or fundraising opportunities for anyone who may be interested in and is able to help monetarily support local first responders.