Gas Prices Are Causing Emergency Responders To Limit Responses To 911 Calls

Insane gas prices are not only causing a financial crisis but also a safety crisis too.

Many emergency responders across the United States are now limiting their number of responses to 911 calls due to the current gas prices.

Scott Matice, captain of the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office stated that officers under his command will collect evidence by phone and do most of their traffic work while idling instead of doing patrols.

Most small police departments across the United States have already run through their entire 2022 fuel budget which is the reason why many emergency responders are limiting physical responses.

Record gas prices are "forcing emergency responders in smaller communities to cut costs," including limiting the number of 911 calls to which they can respond. pic.twitter.com/hG9wNitoqp

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 21, 2022

NBC dropped these details:

Exorbitant fuel prices have forced some emergency service providers to find ways to cut costs, including by not dispatching first responders to nonemergency calls, cutting back on other operations and reassessing plans to buy new equipment.

On Wednesday, the average cost of a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. was $5.01, far above the $3.07 average from the same time last year, according to AAA.

Like many Americans, agencies that provide emergency services have not been exempt from the strain of skyrocketing costs.

Scott Matice, captain of the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan, said deputies won’t immediately respond to nonemergency calls and will cut back on patrols to save on gas.

“We instructed our officers to not idle their vehicles and to do stationary traffic control rather than patrol and drive all over the place just trying to find violations,” he said.

Matice said that calls where evidence doesn’t need to be collected will be taken by phone and that further gas increases could force the department to limit mileage on vehicles.

As gas prices continue to skyrocket under the watchful eye of U.S. President Joe Biden, police in Michigan say that they will no longer be able to respond to all 911 calls, because they simply cannot afford the gas prices.

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— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) June 14, 2022

First Responders Whacked By High Gas Prices, 911 Calls Ignored – Off The Press 2.0 https://t.co/a83J4sQsu0

— Conspiracy analyst (@CrazyTrain2021) June 22, 2022

Newsweek added these details:

As gas prices continue to rise across the U.S., some police and fire departments, as well as ambulance services, are altering the way they handle everyday activities.

According to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA), the average gas price across the U.S. is currently $4.970, with several states seeing prices over $5. In comparison, on the same date in 2021, the national average gas price was $3.067, according to data from the AAA. More states to pass the $5 per gallon mark are coming.

Data from AAA shows that gas prices in Michigan as of Thursday were listed at $5.214, and the rise in prices in the state has led some police departments to change the way they respond to every 911 call.

According to WJBK in Detroit, Michigan, the Isabella County Sheriff’s Office recently issued a post on Facebook where they announced changes in their routine, due to exhausting “what funds were budgeted for fuel with several months to go before the budget reset.”