When to call an ambulance

If you have been injured or are seriously ill. If a friend or family member is injured or seriously ill. Any of the following situations:

• sudden onset chest pain (possible heart attack)
• difficulty breathing, choking
• experiencing stroke like symptoms (slurred speech, facial drooping, etc.)
• seizure
• drug overdose
• loss of consciousness
• electrical shock, electrocution 
• severe allergic reaction
• possible broken bone
• severe laceration and/or blood loss 
• vehicle crash
• active labor, child birth
• falls with injuries
• drowning

Billing

The Fire Department contracts with an outside billing company to do soft billing. This means a patient’s insurance is billed much like a doctor office visit. There is also a bill for the ambulance ride from your house or location of the emergency to the hospital. The entire charge goes to the patient’s insurance.

If the patient does not have insurance or a means to pay, the bill may be written off. The billing company only bills for the services provided during the emergency response and transport costs to the hospital. 

The Fire Department is an emergency service agency and responds to actual emergencies. The Fire Department does not normally respond to non-emergency calls, such as wellness checks or lift assists. If an ambulance is called, the patient will be offered transport to the ER. If the patient decides not to go to the ER, the patient will be billed directly for a service fee and not their insurance. The fee will be the patient’s responsibility.

The purpose behind EMS billing is to recover some of the expenses of providing emergency medical services to the community.