Increasing diesel fuel costs cause volunteer firefighters to pay out of pocket

The Kenly Fire Department is no exception, with many of its volunteers draining their wallets to save those in need during an emergency call.

“At the end of the day, we have to prepare for the worst,” said Kenly Fire Department Fire Chief Paul Whitehurst.

A member of the Kenly Fire Department responding to a fire call gets a stipend of $12. The funding comes from a grant due to run out at the end of the year, according to Whitehurst. However, volunteers do not get paid for medical calls, which account for about 50% of the calls the Kenly Fire Department receives.

The increased fuel costs have also prompted volunteers for the department to use their own money when responding to emergency calls, Whitehurst said.

“These men and women [are already] leaving their jobs during [the] daytime, burning gas back and forth to the station,” Whitehurst said.

The department is made up of a full-time fire chief, five part-time employees and 31 volunteer personnel for the town’s 6,200 residents.

In the past four months, Whitehurst said the department has spent an average of $1,308.69 per month on diesel fuel. That’s more than double the average ( $612.47 per month) they were paying last year.

“We are trying to do things to reduce fuel use [by] responding with certain apparatus,” Whitehurst said.

For example, the Kenly Fire Department uses its SUV instead of a fire truck for certain medical calls. Normally, the department uses its fire truck.

Whitehurst acknowledged how the town must adjust its budget to account for the increased fuel costs. Plus, the cost of personal protective equipment (PPE) has increased by 25%, according to Whitehurst.

To save money, the department plans to conduct in-house training, and it hopes a grant can cover some of the costs. Also, the department is turning off its truck or tanker while at the scene of an emergency to save fuel.

Diesel fuel costs about $6 per gallon in Kenly.

Whitehurst said he’s already preparing to double his department’s fuel budget for next fiscal year to $16,000. He said the town initially planned for $8,000 this fiscal year, but town leaders have upped the total to $12,000.

“If they don’t know who else to call, [the] fire department gets called. We don’t just respond to fires,” Whitehurst said. “In these small communities, these volunteers are the first line of defense.”

Whitehurst said he wanted to buy six sets of PPE, but he can only buy three. He plans to spend the rest of the money for diesel fuel.

“That $8,000 has to come from somewhere,” Whitehurst said.