Gas prices fuel changes for heavy travelers - PittsburghLIVE.com: "BLAIRSVILLE--Inflated prices at the service station continue to create headaches for local residents. Gasoline prices have been hovering around $3 a gallon, with little sign of relief.
While the pinch at the pump affects every motorist, the impact is multiplied for entities that rely daily on the consumption of fuel.
Lieutenant Brad Shields, commander of the state police barracks in Indiana, said the force has been advised by its headquarters in Harrisburg to take whatever steps it can to conserve fuel.
'We're trying to do what we can to conserve, but, unfortunately, it's one of those things we have no control over because we have to respond to calls,' Shields said.




According to Shields, troopers are trying to operate police cruisers more efficiently by running the air conditioner less, using two people to patrol, and performing weekly inspections to make sure tires are correctly inflated.
But Shields said they can't conserve fuel by simply turning off the ignition.
'One of the things that are different about patrol cars is that they have to be running because of all the computer technology inside,' he said.
Shields describes the new technology as a mobile office, capable of sending e-mails from a patrol car to the police station.
The vehicles' other amenities include a global positioning system (GPS) unit and capabilities of writing in-car reports and running checks on driver information and license plates.
Another service provider that has felt the effects of increasing gas prices has been Indiana County-based Citizens' Ambulance Service.
Citizens' Ambulance representative Claire Hogan said, every time gasoline prices jump by 10 cents it costs the service $300 more a month, since it use"