Allows certain fire districts to provide a general ambulance service

BILL NUMBER:S4137

Title of bill

An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to allowing certain fire districts to provide a general ambulance service

Purpose

This legislation would only affect fire districts throughout the state to allow them to establish a schedule of fees or charges for providing emergency and general ambulance service.

Summary of provisions

Subdivision 1 of section 122-b of the general municipal law is amended to allow fire districts that represent a locality to allow them to provide emergency medical service, or a general ambulance service and collect a fee for service.

Justification

As a volunteer fire department, fire districts are prohibited from charging for ambulance services. In practice, however, these districts employ a number of paid firefighters, who are trained EMTs and answer ambulance and emergency services calls. If the district were part of a municipal government, it could charge users for services rendered by these paid emergency services personnel.

The ever-increasing costs of state mandates, coupled with increases in equipment (and in career departments, personnel) costs have led many municipal and volunteer ambulance providers to charge for this very costly service. If the ambulance is provided through a police department, ambulance department, volunteer ambulance corps, or even contracted with a proprietary/for-profit service, a fee can be charged. If the service is rendered by a fire department in any way, no fee may be charged.

This legislation would not require any fee to be established, but it would offer municipalities and independent volunteer fire companies the opportunity to recover these ever-increasing mandated costs.

Legislative history

A.10891 of 2004: Referred to Local Governments A.7647 of 2005-06: Referred to Local Governments

Fiscal implications

None.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.