(A) Ambulance service cost recovery program.
(1) Ambulance service.
(a) The Fire Department may provide ambulance and rescue service in case of emergency requiring the pre-hospital care and transportation of persons who are sick, injured, wounded or otherwise incapacitated or helpless at the time of the dispatch of a Fire Department vehicle.
(b) The response area shall be limited to the territory within the corporate limits of the city.
(c) Service outside corporate limits shall be limited to:
1. Municipal code § 32.099 and circumstances governed by automatic/mutual-aid agreement; and
2. Extreme life-saving necessity.
(d) Except when personnel or equipment are needed for continued life-saving support, the Fire Chief shall assure that neither personnel nor equipment are unduly delayed in:
1. Dispatch to, or departure from, the scene;
2. Transportation to and from the hospital; or
3. Within a hospital.
(2) Fees for ambulance service shall be provided as follows:
(a) Fees for "Basic Life Support" services (BLS) shall be as follows:
Resident | Non-resident | |
Basic rate | $800 | $900 |
Mileage per mile | $20 | $20 |
(b) Fees for "Advanced Life Support" services (ALS) shall be as follows:
Resident | Non-resident | |
Basic rate | $900 | $1,050 |
Mileage per mile | $20 | $20 |
(c) Fees for "Advanced Life Support 2" services (ALS2) shall be as follows:
Resident | Non-resident | |
Basic rate | $1,100 | $1,250 |
Mileage per mile | $20 | $20 |
(d) Additional fees provided at any level of care shall be as follows:
Immobilization | $100 |
King blades | $50 |
IO needles | $50 |
(e) Fees, other than basic rate, shall be on an as needed/if used basis. The above rates will automatically increase 3% annually.
(B) Cost recovery, other.
(1) Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
CARELESS. Not taking ordinary or reasonable care, including the disregard of the safety of others.
CONTRACT. An oral or written agreement to have work performed by a contractor.
CONTRACTOR. Person or entity who has a contract to perform a task or service.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE. Any call requiring the Fire Department to respond.
INCENDIARY ACT. A fire purposely set by a person or persons.
INCIDENT. Any request, by any person, for the services of the Fire Department.
MALICIOUS ACT. A wrongful act intentionally done without legal justification or excuse, an unlawful act done willfully and purposely.
NEGLIGENCE. Failure to exercise the standard of care that a reasonably prudent person would use under similar circumstances, including the doing of something which a reasonable prudent person would not do.
(2) Acts requiring cost reimbursement. The following acts are subject to the fees enumerated in division (B)(3) of this section:
(a) Negligence/careless acts. Any contractor, whose negligence or careless actions or conduct cause an incident resulting in an emergency response, shall be required to make restitution, pursuant to division (B)(3) of this section to the city for the costs of that emergency response.
(b) Malicious or incendiary acts. Any person whose malicious or incendiary act causes an incident resulting in an emergency response, shall be required to make restitution, pursuant to division (B)(3) of this section, to the city for costs of that emergency response.
(c) Driving under the influence. Every person found guilty, including an order of supervision or probation of "DUI", who proximately causes any incident resulting in an appropriate emergency response, shall make restitution pursuant to the fees in division (B)(3) of this section to the city for the city's costs of that emergency response.
(d) Salvage operations. A fee of $300 shall be charged for Fire Department salvage operations including but not limited to tarping personal property and smoke or water removal.
(e) Fire company standby. When a fire company (engine, truck or ambulance) is requested or required to stand by for a non-city sponsored event, the person responsible shall be required to make restitution pursuant to division (B)(3) of this section to the city for the costs of such fire company standby. No other fire company standby services can be provided within the city other than through the city's Fire Department unless the city is unable to provide such services.
(3) Fees.
(a) The following fees shall apply to all acts enumerated to division (B)(2) of this section:
1. Per fire engine per hour: $250.
2. Per truck company per hour: $250.
3. Per ambulance company per hour: $250.
4. Per administrative vehicle per hour: $100.
5. Per service vehicle per hour: $100.
6. Per each personnel per hour: $70.
(b) A minimum of one hour shall be charged. Subsequent hours will be billed at 15-minute increments.
(4) Additional fees. The following fees shall apply as indicated:
(a) A fee of $500 for the extrication of persons from vehicles involved in traffic accidents.*
(b) A fee of $500 for the extinguishment of a motor vehicle fire.*
(c) A fee of $500 for debris removal, hazmat removal, fluid removal, or any other mitigation or operational tasks performed by the fire company at the scene.*
*These costs shall also include the costs of all materials and equipment used, expended, depleted, destroyed or removed from service as a result of the service provided.
(5) Waiver of fees. The Fire Chief or his/her designee may waive or reduce fee, upon his or her discretion based on mitigating circumstances.
(6) Claims. A claim shall be filed to the responsible party through their insurance carrier. In some circumstances, the responsible party will be billed directly.
(7) False fire alarms.
(a) First and second false fire alarm in a rolling 12-month period; warning letter (no fine).
(b) Each additional false fire alarm in a rolling 12-month period after two results in a false alarm charge of $50 with each charge increasing by $50 for each false alarm, not to exceed a fine of $500 per incident.
(c) If the false fire alarm is an intentional false alarm, a fine of $500 will be charged regardless of the number of false alarm occurrences in the preceding 12-month period.
(Ord. 2018-04-06900, passed 4-24-2018)