How will the rising cost of fuel affect IA and extended attack incidents this year? Non Political
I see some projections that oil could continue to increase by 100-200% by the peak of fire season, and are all ingredients available for ample fire retardant this year, plus any other supply issues? What logistical issues could we face this season?
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Jet Fuel prices & supply
I donât think we will see any change in IA or extended attacks but what was once a 3 million dollar fire will now be a 6 million dollar fire. I see insurance companies, utility companies, etc cranking up their premiums since the consumer always gets it in the end.
I have heard rumors here in AZ that due to the high costs off fuel most departments large and small will not be sending units out of state, of course these are just rumors, have to play the waiting game.
With these high fuel costs and the possibility of approaching $10/gallon, it seems only reasonable that the federal mileage rate gets increased. Another way to handle it would be for the incident to supply fuel for cooperators.
Contractors are getting hit. Mobing a 20-person crew from Northern California to New Mexico in 5 pickups adds up to 12,500 miles of total travel by the time you get there and back, not counting what you burned on the incident!
Nah, I think the host state 0900 Budget will be impacted though.
For contractors, some VIPR agreements have just closed a 2022 modification whereby daily rates/mileage rate could be adjusted for higher operating costs. CalFire agreements are fixed by Sacto and didnât allow for contractor adjustments. As it is now, the IRS Business Rate doesnât even cover the cost/mi. just for fuel, much less all the other additional operating costs (maint./repairs, DMV, vehicle Insurance, and the additional $1Mil. liability ins. required by CF).
Oil products are rationed at the moment from the MFG to the Wholesalers, talking to both, supply will grow some, but allocations will continue through the summer and fall. That means prices will stay high and it might take a day or two to get your order, possible a week or two depending on volume and time of order. This means Fuel, Motor oil, grease, and all of the other little things. DEF is supposedly ok right now, but dont be surprised if prices keep going up on it as well. Fuel vendors will be hard to come by all summer, so if you work in LOGS, order them early and treat them well.
Auto parts are a mix bag of disaster, expect high prices and long lead times on a lot of things if you end up in Ground Support.
Tire prices have gone up about 40% on average, and inventory is VERY low. Im stocking deep right now, to hopefully get through most of the season.
The vast majority of costs on a fire are wages. With an LG strike team costing over 15k a day in just straight time wages, I think the extra few hundred bucks of fuel costs is nothing to get too worked up about.
Edit, This is answering the question about the big-picture impacts, the effect on contractors worried about margins is a problem I hope can be addressed.
The costs will get passed on, eventually, but it is tough for people who are locked into agreements/pricing that might not have anticipated the major changes in fuel costs. Like I mentioned above, it can take over 1,000 gallons of diesel just to mob/demob a hand crew out of Region, and all those diesel generators, refer trailers, crew buggies, dozers, chippers, light towers, supply runs, daily travel and mob/demob travel burn a huge amount of fuel, and almost none of it is paid for by the agency. National crew and engine contracts donât pay mileage or fuel for mob or demob, just daily or labor-hour rates.
Another critical issue is availability of trucks. Most of the contractor crews have gotten away from buggies and vans, and are using rental 3/4-ton pickups. These are hard to find, and also, there are a ton of vehicle recalls coming in on them. Same with F550s and other chassis.
Great topic & discussion. Another item that is a problem are the availability of rental cars. More & more agencies are not sending their Dept utilities for overhead positions due to vehicle damage & parts costs. The rental pick ups & SUVâs are hard to find because of low production & seasonal consumer use.
Fuel costs are going to be a major factor when privates are considering taking assignments. It will really cut into the bottom line.
No crews, No fuel, No staffing, No and low experienced firefighters on the lines, and No private contractors to take assignments because of high costs. Sounds like weâre ready for a tough fire season, âNOTâ.
Private contractors will definitely have to consider if the job is worth it to respond. There is a break over point where it will be too expensive to run equipment that pre-season governmental agreementâs donât cover. If you use 50 gallons of diesel a day, last year that cost about $150. If diesel goes to $10/gallon, the same usage will be $500. After paying other costs, that doesnât leave much left for the company. Local, state, and federal, cooperators will be covered by the government, but rising costs will eat into budgets that effect everything those organizations do. In the end it will mean higher taxes to cover departmental budgets as the cost of fighting these fires keep going up.
Reads like a shot across the LG bow!
Definitely not meant meant to be any sort of criticism, although I can see why it may read that way. LG personnel in California may make more than contractors or many federal and state employees, but that only speaks to how many fed, state and contractors do not pay what their workers deserve.
Out of state story: Sheriff's department in Michigan 'exhausted' funds budgeted for gas
County Administrator Nicole Frost confirmed Wednesday that 96% of the Sheriffâs Officeâs fuel budget has already been spent â and there are still 3½ months of the fiscal year to go.
## âDo we need to meet?â
As a result, Main said he instructed his deputies to manage by phone whatever calls they could â which he identified as ânon-in-progress calls, non-life-threatening calls and calls that do not require evidence collection or documentation.â
To reassure concerned Isabella County residents, he also said that deputies âwill continue to provide patrols to all areas of the countyâ and âwill respond to those calls that need to be managed in person.â
In 1985, the rural volunteer department I was part of used 50% of its fuel budget in the first two weeks of July. It was considered a very busy season at the time and the chief and CSD board were able to get a line on some kind of disaster/fire relief bill to allocate funds to special districts such as ours. The governor crossed the line out with his red pen.
