I cannot state this strongly enough: I would rather walk, bleeding and limping, to the hospital before I let your Tracy firefighters lay their hands on me. You have found a way to turn one of the best-regarded functions of government (of which there are few) into a cash cow.
Just as the Tracy Fire Department celebrates its 100th anniversary, its mission statement could be changed to “Protect and collect.” Residents must now consider their family finances before calling for help. Travelers might want to endure their chest pain while they drive west to Livermore, where they can receive better service. It is a slap in the face to firefighters serving the public.
As a 20-year firefighter in the state of California, I am horrified and disgusted that fire departments are making this move to double-charge for services, extorting citizens in time of need.
What say the Tracy Firefighters Local 3355? Firefighters standing behind this double-taxation need to disavow all claim to the title “hero” and replace it with “revenue agent.”
For nonresidents, Tracy has imposed a higher fee than for residents, implying they are a drain on city funds. Yet your malls, shopping and hotels cater to freeway passers-by. Why would I want to stop, shop or visit Tracy? Since Tracy views me as a revenue target and charges me the “foreigner” rate, why would I summon or welcome your firefighters’ services? I will purchase my gas and fast food elsewhere.
The Contra Costa Times reported one compassionate angle in Tracy’s new policy: “There is no fee if the patient dies.” Thanks for that. It’s nice to know I can die in Tracy for free.
Except, this is a lie! The policy adopted in Resolution 2009-161 states that the fire chief “may” waive the fee, but only if the patient expires before or during fire department care. In many instances, death is not pronounced until after transfer of care to an emergency room physician. The policy only makes the fee waiver an option.
Discriminatory billing, I pray, will be found illegal. It is a cancer that will raise insurance rates statewide without any vote of the people or their Legislature.
This is not free revenue. We will all pay for this, including non-residents who pay insurance premiums. You have found a way to, in effect, tax every resident of this state for services that we already pay for.
Worse, the Florida corporation that Tracy has signed a contract with, ADPI-Intermedix, will get rich from the pockets of Tracy’s injured and sick. Their private medical records will be shared with low-pay data entry clerks, which likewise exposes them to identity theft.
Did you ever serve the citizens as a first-responder firefighter? You are not serving the citizens now, and you are giving those of us who do a black eye.
Is there a “do not resuscitate” form or medical bracelet I can wear when in Tracy? I’ll call a taxi. I don’t want your “help.”
How do you respond?
• Kevin Rice lives in San Luis Obispo, is a firefighter in Southern California and has been involved in the fire service for 20 years.
cymbolhead, my last entry said, "...... Tracy is the only city in San Joaquin County that implemented this EMS Fee for Service." At no time did I mention ambulance service or AMR. This EMS Fee for Service is for FIRE DEPT."
mnwild,
Yes, I know the fee is for the FIRE DEPT medics. The fire department provides medic better service in Tracy than the other San Joaquin County cities partly because the fire department consolidated with San Joaquin County.
What BS? They replaced a 25 year old engine. Tracy's property taxes are lower than Mountain House. Name one city that has lower property taxes than Tracy?
Spin your BS to someone who will believe you!
We also pay less taxes in Tracy so somebody at the city offices decided to keep the better level of service over-and-above the level of service provided by other cities.
The county did not do that for you. The county cannot afford to do that for you.
My point continues to be that our Council and City Manager can blame as many other agencies and circumstances as they want, but somehow surrounding communities have found ways to cover Fire Dept. EMS fees WITHOUT charging its citizens TWICE! That speaks volumes about our Council and staff, and none of it good!
Are you sure Tracy is the only city in San Joaquin County? Isn't there another city in San Joaquin County (one that you mentioned) which tried to get rid of the AMR Ambulance company completely. I thought they tried, but they are tied in with a County contract and were unsuccessful at getting out of the AMR/County contract.
Also the AMR ambulance company does NOT have to add additional ambulances if it merely meets county mandated response times. Therefore it was the city who improved response times. Not the county.
If the county wanted to improve response times they would have to either approve higher AMR fees or pay the diference.
You didn't explain that part.
And that's why people are upset because they don't understand they are getting shortchanged by the county.
Tracy's property taxes are a lot lower than Mountain House, which is the city the built by the COUNTY. And they also use those services. That's another reason why the county is involved in the AMR ambulance company's buisness.
So yes I'd say it has a LOT more to do with the county than you think.
The County's financial crisis has little impact on the number of ambulances or the level of service provided by AMR and any other authorized ambulance service within San Joaquin County. San Joaquin County Emergency Services is the permitting agency for ambulance service (including air ambulances). The Board of Supervisors approves the fees that can be charged by ambulance services. County EMS does NOT pay any type of fee to the ambulance service. In fact, ambulance services authorized to operate in San Joaquin County must pay the County a permit fee that covers the oversight and permitting process within the County. The ambulance services bill insurance or the patient for service provided. Here's the link to the County's Ordinance regarding this issue. http://www.sjgov.org/ems/PDF/Policies/1001_San_Joaquin_Co_Ambulance_Ordinance.pdf.
Hi There,
No one is down on the Fire Dept. In fact if you read this thread and the many others since the news of this plan was reported back in May/June '09, our Fire Dept. is well respected and appreciated. We are angry that EMS response by the Fire Dept. is no longer paid for as part of our property taxes. And yes, most of our property taxes went down, but this EMS Fee for Service plan provides no assurances that the $48 annual fee (an estimated total of $800K annually per the City's own Council staff report of June 16, 2009) is going to go to the Fire Dept. to cover the expenses incurred when Fire Dept. EMS is dispatched. If that were the case, you might have one or two people a little perturbed, but now there are alot of us who saying this "fear tax" to balance the City's budget is wrong.
Frustration is understandable, but be mindful each second counts, when driving how would you get through the red lights, stalled traffics, and so on?
If a car breaks down, that takes additonal loss of time and speed up the poor prognosis for the injured person.
I am concerned that people would try to gamble with their own lives to save money....
Sure wish the city council would consider a waiver of fee/charge for senior citizens on fixed income. Same for disabled.
Good luck.
Take good care of yourself and your loved ones.
CN
The Fire Department is doing what the County Ambulance company cannot do. The Fire Department provides three or four times the medics and better time to respond to medical emergencies.
Tracy is a safer city because of it.
It also costs less to have that safety in Tracy than Mountain House where they pay more for property taxes.
Let them spend the money they way they see fit. They are doing a good job taking care of our medical responses, so far.
The city has not cut the police or fire and we pay less than our neignboring city.
The small $48 dollar (or what fund it goest to) fee doesn't bother me in the least. As long as they keep our citizens and businesses safe during medical emergencies.
Again, the revenue does not go to the fire department. Tracy has adopted a fee for service, but the fees don't go to that service!
There are over a dozen medics on the fire department. They also have better response times than the ambulance service.
The ambulance service is run by a private company in the county and is run out of Manteca or Modesto.
They can't keep up because people are paying less taxes to the County. That's why this is happening. If the economy had not tanked the taxes you pay to the county would have been adequate and maybe the county could have improved the AMR response times by adding additional ambulances.
They cannot. So, most of the time the Fire Department gets there first. If the economy improves you will once again start paying the County twice as much in property taxes to cover the ambulance service.
Until then, I'm ok with the Fire Department filling in the Gap.
I do not work in SLO, I live here.
If it was you that cowardly called me last night to yell and hang up, that's sad. If people are truly throwing rocks at fire trucks and cussing then maybe the union should speak out and oppose this? Have they? I don't see anything on the union web site.
To anyone else that wishes a productive discussion, my number is (805) 602-2616.
TRACY CITIZENS, DON'T LET THIS DROP! SPEAK OUT!
Write your city and Chamber:
council@ci.tracy.ca.us
cm@ci.tracy.ca.us
econdev@ci.tracy.ca.us
firedept@ci.tracy.ca.us
info@tracychamber.org
Call your council members:
http://www.ci.tracy.ca.us/modules/city_council/
Contact your Tracy Firefighters:
http://www.tracyfirefighters.org/
VOTE.