Troy Fire Protection District EMS, ambulance rates jumped June 1
By Charles Bolinger
Editor • During its March 18 meeting, the board of directors for the Troy Fire Protection District voted 5-0 to increase the district’s emergency medical service and district ambulance rates.
“The ambulance fee rate changes that were approved [at] the board meeting, per ordinance, [went] into effect on June 1,” said Troy Fire Protection District Chief Darren Davis.
The new base charges are:
- Basic Life Support (BLS) for residents are $580
- BLS for non-residents are $1,000
- Advanced Life Support (ALS) for residents are $800
- ALS for non-residents is $1,000
- ALS 2 for residents are $875
- ALS 2 for non-residents are $1,200
Davis said the last time rates were evaluated and changed was approximately five years ago.
According to the Red Cross, BLS is often the first line of response while ALS comes into play when more advanced care is required. While both provide life-saving techniques during an emergency, they have key differences, including the level of care, the training required, the equipment used and the treatment setting.
For example, BLS focuses on giving immediate care at the scene in order to stabilize and support life functions through basic techniques like CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation), rescue breaths and/or the use of an AED (automated external defibrillator) until help arrives. ALS, on the other hand, requires a higher level of care, like advanced airway management, IV access, medication administration and advanced cardiac life support.
Additional charges include mileage per mile ($15); if an accident victim refuses services, they still pay $150; if they are treated at the accident scene without transport to a hospital, it costs $150; and for those who are dead on arrival (DOA), there is a $580 fee for residents and $1,000 for non-residents.
The district may, at its discretion, waive charges for EMS or ambulance service when circumstances deem it appropriate; the ordinance passed does not allow the district to refuse services to any person, business or entity that has not paid for services or that owes money to the district.
