Anaheim : Optional Yearly Fee for Paramedics Up for Vote

A visit from a paramedic may not be free much longer in Anaheim, as City Council members gave their initial approval Tuesday to charging for emergency care.

If approved at the board’s next meeting, residents will have the option of paying $24 a year for the paramedic service. Nonsubscribers and visitors to Anaheim would have to pay between $75 and $125 per visit.

The subscription fee, which received thumbs down from the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, is expected to generate between $500,000 and $750,000, Fire Chief Bob Simpson said. The cities of Orange, Fullerton and San Clemente have similar programs, Assistant Fire Chief Ron Evans said.

The annual cost of running the city’s emergency system, now $2.7 million, will increase as additional protection is needed in Anaheim Hills, the Disneyland area and near Anaheim Stadium, according to a written proposal by Simpson. The proposed service fee calls for most residents to be billed through their utility bills, Simpson said.

About 70% of the emergency calls the department receives are for paramedics and 30% are for fire protection, Simpson told council members. But 80% of the paramedics’ calls are for “Band-Aid” purposes and not emergencies, he said.

“I’ve been alarmed for about a year of the abuses in the paramedic program,” Mayor Don Roth said of the high percentage of non-emergency calls.