From MO to MI, rising gas prices are affecting fire departments.

Mount Morris Township (MI) Fire Department officials say that it takes about 60 gallons to fill a fire truck, which, on average, costs about $300 per apparatus, reports NBC25.

Related: Rising Gas Prices Affecting Aurora (MO) Fire Protection District

As we speak, the average cost for a gallon of diesel fuel in the area is $4.94. Who knows when/where/if it will stop rising? The rising price has even forced the department to increase its oil and gas budget.

And it’s not only the department apparatus that’s being affected; fuel prices also factor into vendor trips to fix equipment as well as the part-time staff’s vehicles—about 60 people, the report says—as they’re used on the job.

The Haverhill Fire Department is battling maintenance issues with its fleet, reports eagletribune.com.

This weekend its Ladder 4, housed at the department’s Bradford station, was down for service due to a radiator issue—at the same time Ladder 1, of the Water Street station, had mechanical issues and wouldn’t start, the report notes.

With the city’s only two ladder trucks out of service, department officials made arrangements with the Lawrence and North Andover fire departments to have their ladders on standby. Ladder 1 was repaired shortly after and even responded to a call about an hour later.

However, Ladder 4 remains out of service for the second week, though the report says it should be back by the end of this week.

The Haverhill Fire Department Local 1011 union blames city council:

“Our public safety strategy must (be enabled to) be better than hoping nothing bad happens when we dont have the people or equipment that we need to do our jobs,” the union says on Facebook. “For the same reason our Fire Chief is not allowed to speak at #Haverhill city council meetings is the same reason we need to go to the public regarding the condition of our department and city. We’d rather it not be this way either but you deserve to know what we’re dealing with as a city service.”

“The Haverhill Firefighters & Chief O’Brien are working diligently to find a ladder, while the maintenance division works on Ladder 1,” another post reads. “In the meantime, the citizens of Haverhill should know what’s going on in their city. #Lifeandproperty Will always be our priority, but you should know the truth. The city of Haverhill is without a working Ladder Truck. Ladder 4 was out of service for more 4 months in the last year, the Ladder replacement plan has been pushed out several times by this administration and the residents of #Haverhill are paying the price. Stop playing politics with people’s lives.”

City officials call the claims misleading and add that the city purchased a new rescue truck in 2020 and two new pumpers in 2021, and that it plans to take delivery of a new ladder in 2025, according to the report.