(A) Fire departments are authorized to recover the reasonable costs of the use of emergency fire and/or rescue (including but not limited to, vehicle accidents) personnel hours, tools, equipment, materials and vehicles; hazardous material and/or environmental response personnel hours, tools, equipment, materials and vehicles; and reasonable interest on any amount due from the date of the response forward.
(1) Additionally, fire departments are authorized to collect a reasonable flat-rate fee for any false alarm responses or fire drill responses for which the Fire Department did not receive at least 48 hours prior notice.
(2) Nothing in this chapter shall be interpreted as limiting any amounts fire departments are authorized to collect under any applicable state statute or law.
(B) The reasonable costs authorized to be billed for under this chapter may be recovered directly by the Fire Department or through a third party billing service serving as an authorized agent for the collection of such costs.
(C) The reimbursement rates for the aforementioned costs shall be set by the billing entity.
(D) If a third party billing service is utilized, it shall be authorized to charge a service charge in addition to the costs it is recovering for the Fire Department. The service charge will be set by the third party billing service.
(E) All funds recovered under this chapter, and due to the Fire Department, shall be remitted directly to the Fire Department by either the responsible party or, if a third party billing service is utilized, by the third party billing service. All funds recovered under this chapter shall be exclusively used for the support of the Fire Department in a cumulative equipment fund.
(F) (1) The Fire Department or third party billing service shall only have the authority to recover the costs authorized under this chapter from the applicable insurance company/carrier of the party responsible for the costs authorized to be billed for under this chapter.
(2) In the event that collection costs and/or attorney's fees are incurred by the Fire Department or third party billing service as a result of the efforts required to obtained full reimbursement for the costs billed for under this chapter, they may be recovered by the Fire Department or third party billing service from the applicable insurance company/carrier of the party responsible for the costs authorized to be billed for under this chapter.
(Ord. 2009-01, passed 1-12-2009)