(A) The patient or person, patients or persons, being transported or given emergency care shall be responsible for fees and costs charged for such emergency medical or other care. Emergency medical care shall not be refused any party because of actual or presumed inability to pay all or any part of such fees or costs. The fees charged shall be due and payable to the city at City Hall 30 days from the initial date of service.
(B) A charge of $40 shall be made for each call by a person living within the municipal boundaries of the city or $50 per call for a person living outside the municipal boundaries of city. Such fee shall be charged and payable if such request is made and if such request remains in force and is not cancelled prior to the staff arriving at the site or storage of any emergency vehicle or equipment used by them. A further charge of $.75 per mile, for persons living within the municipal boundaries of the city and $1.00 per mile for persons not living within the municipal boundaries of the city, shall be made for each mile of transportation of any patient to any place of medical or other care necessitated by their condition or requested by the patient, his or her doctor, or any other authorized person. In addition to the charges shown above a cost charge shall be made for all materials and supplies used or expended on behalf of any patient. After an authorized medical practitioner determines that the patient may be returned to his or her or their home after treatment or medical attention and there will be a waiting period for the emergency medical vehicle of longer twenty minutes, there shall be a charge of $15 an hour for such waiting period. Should more than one patient be transported in the emergency medical vehicle or cared for by the emergency staff in a single trip or instance the charge to each patient shall be 87½% of the charge which would have been charged such patient according to the rates given above had such patient been alone on such trip or provided such service. The fee schedule stated above may be charged at any time by simple majority vote of the City Council without other amendment to or change in any other part of this chapter.
(C) Each member of the staff of the emergency medical services team, whether an emergency medical technician-ambulance (EMT-A) or an emergency medical technician-paramedic (EMT-P) or a registered nurse shall be paid a fee of $10 for each instance of provision of medical care in which they have any participation. The payment schedule stated above may be changed at any time by simple majority vote of the City Council without other amendment to or change in any other part of this chapter.
(D) All fees payable to such emergency medical staff members shall be paid by the city government out of general funds, after approval by the City Council member in charge of the emergency vehicle service. The city shall provide and purchase malpractice insurance coverage having a substantial liability limit covering all persons qualified and authorized to participate in the provision of emergency medical care under this chapter. In addition, the city shall save and hold harmless all such certified and authorized persons from any judgement or other liability which they may incur or suffer as the result of the provision of such emergency medical service unless a finding of wanton and willful misconduct or culpability of a substantially similar form has been made against such person being held liable.
(Ord. 388, passed 7-16-79)