(a) There is hereby established within the Fire Department of the City an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) composed of emergency medical technician-paramedic service and emergency ambulance service, as authorized, set forth and described in Ohio R.C. Chapter 4765.
(b) The Mayor is hereby authorized and directed to provide for the necessary training, qualification and appointment of adequate personnel so as to ensure that not less than one paramedic is available for duty on each Fire Department shift.
(c) All Department personnel, other than the Chief, who are certified as paramedics shall receive additional compensation in an amount to be determined annually by Council in the ordinance providing for compensation of Department personnel.
(d) EMS shall be furnished in all cases of illness, injury and other bodily harm. Such EMS will be provided at the advanced life support level and each ambulance shall be staffed with a minimum of one (1) basic EMT-A, and one (1) paramedic.
(e) Every person receiving EMS from the City including but not limited to basic life support service (BLS) and advanced life support service (ALS) shall be charged a fee for each response at the most current rate that would be the usual and customary fee as is determined by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) and the third party insurers including but not limited to Medicare, Medicaid and other private, public and commercial insurance carriers.
(f) Billing and collection of said fees shall be conducted by a professional billing agency selected by the City. Said professional billing agency shall have the power to accept insurance assignments.
(g) Council shall determine a procedure to identify uncollected accounts, and such accounts shall be reviewed by the Finance Director and pursued in accordance with the procedure.
(Ord. 2005-30. Passed 5-16-05.)