HUNTINGTON BEACH : Higher Ambulance Fees Considered

The Fire Department, which took over ambulance service in November to save the city money, is now thinking about seeking higher fees for emergency service.

Richard Kaump, the department’s ambulance service coordinator, said rates have not been raised since 1990 and are lower than those charged by the county.

The council voted 4 to 3 in August to create the city-run program, ending a contract begun in the 1960s with Seal’s Ambulance Service.

It was estimated that the Fire Deprtment ambulance program would cost $549,975 in its first year.

The department is considering asking the council to approve unspecified higher fees within the next few months, Kaump said. The department hasn’t yet submitted a proposal outlining why a fee increase would be needed.

As an alternative to fee for service, the city offers an insurance program that provides free service to those who subscribe. The insurance, called the FireMed Insurance Program, costs an individual $3 per month to subscribe. The city collects more than $700,000 from the FireMed program. The fees for that program would remain the same, he said.

About 75% of the people who call for ambulance service do not belong to the FireMed program. Those people pay $190 for basic ambulance service, though county rates have now risen to $225, he said. The city also charges $8 per mile for service, and there is a surcharge of $30 for service between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Those fees are about 30% lower than the county’s, Kaump said.

“We’re just looking at providing an option to council to raise the rates,” Kaump said.

When it took over the service, the council voted to buy three new ambulances, communications equipment and hire 18 drivers. Fire Chief Michael Dolder presented the change as a way to close a $470,000 budget gap for the Fire Department. He said a city service--which would piggyback on Fire Department facilities for dispatching--would help save lives too.

At the time, council members Linda Moulton-Patterson and Jim Silva voted against the proposal, saying they would prefer to see competition among ambulance services. Councilman David Sullivan also opposed the program, saying he feared costs would escalate.