U.S. Fire Departments Spent Over Half a Billion Dollars on Gas Leak Responses in 2018, Study Finds

Gas Leaks Cost U.S. Fire Departments Nearly Half a Billion Dollars Each Year

Every three minutes, a fire department responds to a suspected gas leak in the U.S. Now, new research suggests these emergencies place a significant burden on first responders and taxpayers.

The new peer-reviewed study from scientists at PSE Healthy Energy estimates that U.S. fire departments spent more than $564 million responding to gas leak incidents in 2018. In New York City, which experienced more gas leaks than the next 25 cities combined, the cost was significantly higher—conservatively estimated at $70 million.

“Nationwide, fire departments are spending nearly half a billion dollars to prevent gas leaks from becoming even more serious emergencies,” stated Dr. Sebastian Rowland, a scientist at PSE Healthy Energy. He emphasized that uncombusted gas leaks, although preventable, divert limited time and resources from other critical emergencies. The New York City Fire Department, for instance, allocates nearly 3% of its annual operating budget responding to gas leaks.

The comprehensive study analyzed 15 years of emergency response data, examining the time and personnel required for gas leak incidents. Researchers estimated the financial burden on fire departments and created an operating budget cost model for the top 20 cities by gas leak incidents. The primary data source was the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), supplemented by direct data from Boston and Philadelphia Fire Departments.

Scientists found that gas leak incidents are on the rise. “Between 2003 and 2018, the number of reported gas leak emergencies nearly quadrupled,” noted Dr. Drew Michanowicz, Senior Scientist at PSE Healthy Energy. “These leaks represent a growing and largely hidden cost to society that should be considered when designing future energy systems. Transitioning away from widespread gas use could yield substantial cost and resource savings for many cities.”

When gas leaks ignite, they can lead to other, more costly emergencies such as fires and explosions. Given that the study focused on uncombusted gas leaks, the actual total cost of leaks is likely higher. Gas leaks that cause fires are approximately 10 times more costly per incident, however, the scientists note that non-ignited gas leaks occur about 600 times more frequently—making them a greater financial burden on fire departments overall.

Given the rising incidence of gas leaks, these findings highlight the potential for decarbonization to lower the cost burden of gas leaks on first responders in the future.

By Adrienne Underwood, PSE.

Study: Natural Gas Leak Burden on U.S. Fire Departments

Peer Reviewed Publications |Authors: Casey N. Brodsky | Matthew D. Bucala | Drew Michanowicz, DrPH, MPH, CPH | Sebastian Rowland, PhD