Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District Board of Directors will hold two public meetings over the next two months before deciding whether to start charging for medical calls that do not result in patient trips to the hospital and for responses to motor-vehicle crashes.
Fire Chief Dave Barringer presented a formal proposal to the board during its regular meeting on Nov. 17.
Under the proposal, the SHFAD would bill responsible parties to recover costs incurred at transportation emergencies, including rescue and hazardous materials costs involving those who are not residents of the district or when responding out of district.
Billing would be by the hour, as follows: command or utility vehicle ($35); engine ($100); tender ($55); staffed ambulance ($55); career personnel ($25); and volunteer personnel ($15). The cost for supplies would be billed at actual replacement cost, and repairs or replacement of damaged equipment would be billed at actual cost.
The district would charge $300 for aid calls. An aid call fee is charged when an ambulance responds to a medical incident and provides medical treatment but does not transport the patient.
The aid call fee depends on circumstances, but would be charged usually when significant medical treatment is provided.
Criteria for charging include starting or attempting to start an IV, providing medications and administering a 12-lead EKG.
A three-lead EKG for diagnostic purposes would not constitute an aid call unless other non-reusable supplies are used, and medics will continue to check blood sugar at no charge.
To pass an ordinance, the district board must consider it at two different meetings, which are public. Those meeting dates and agendas must be published in a local newspaper, stating the date, time and place of the meetings. Copies of the proposal are available at the district office, the Fire Hall, 1099 Long St.
Once adopted, the ordinance is filed with the county clerk.
“There’s emergency medical equipment we should have that we can’t afford, that we should,” Barringer said. The district has had to make do with some equipment. The district also incurs costs responding to calls.
Once the district passes an ordinance, it can begin billing insurance companies for crashes, Barringer said. It won’t necessarily get more than it’s billed, but it will be more than it gets now. It will help offset the cost of responding to a crash.
“It’s not good to do business with less because we aren’t charging fees for the costs we incur,” he said.
Larry Johnson, director, noted that the district is one of the few that do not currently charge for crashes.
“We should’ve been doing that all along,” said Don Hopkins, director.