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For 10 years, Darian Unger has volunteered as a firefighter and emergency medical technician — work that he would have continued if not for a new fee Montgomery County plans to charge for some ambulance rides.

Unger, 36, who lives and volunteers in Silver Spring, wrote to his fire chief at the Silver Spring Volunteer Fire Department on Sunday saying he intended to resign if the county begins to charge a newly approved ambulance fee.

"It would be wrong for me to charge people for a service that I provide for free that they've already paid taxes for; that's a fundamental government responsibility to the people," Unger said. "Can you imagine if the police charged people for investigating a burglary? It's just wrong."

The fee, approved May 19 by the Montgomery County Council, would charge between $300 and $800, depending on the amount of care needed, if they ride in a county ambulance. For patients with insurance who live in the county, their insurance companies will be billed. The same would apply to Medicare and Medicaid patients, with the federal or state government getting the bill.

In-county patients without insurance will have the fee waived.

No county resident will pay anything or receive a bill, county spokesman Patrick K. Lacefield said.

For out-of-county residents, insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid will be billed, and those without insurance will receive a bill in the mail. Those who cannot afford the fee will have it waived.

Several other neighboring jurisdictions collect similar fees, including Washington, D.C., Fairfax County, Va., Frederick County, Prince George's County and Carroll County.

Montgomery County's Volunteer Fire Rescue Association, which has long opposed a county ambulance fee, is considering a petition drive to put the bill to a referendum vote in November, according to Executive Director Eric Bernard.

That would take 25,000 signatures, according to Councilman Philip M. Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg, who was the council's strongest voice against the fee.

The council voted 5-4 to approve the ambulance fee, with Andrews, Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Potomac, Nancy M. Navarro (D-Dist. 4) of Silver Spring and Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring opposed.

Because the council did not have six supporters, the bill will not take effect until 90 days after it is signed. If the volunteers, or any other group, gather the necessary signatures within those 90 days, the law will not take effect until after the referendum vote.

Unger said his resignation will go into effect when the fee is in place.

County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) has proposed an ambulance fee for the past three years; he said the fee would raise $13 million in fiscal 2011.

The tax will support the county's fire and rescue services. During the first year, the fees can supplant other tax money, but in subsequent years, the money can be used only for new projects and programs.

"I expect the voters would reject it," Andrews said of the outcome of a referendum vote.

People will be less likely to call for an ambulance if they believe they will be charged a fee, he said.

That view is shared by the volunteer firefighters, who also feared that patients would question them about billing.

Andrews said that could cause some volunteer firefighters to quit.

Unger, who is a professor at Howard University, said several people, including his fire chief, have asked him to stay on, but he is standing by his decision.

"Raising funds from the sick and injured reduces public safety and fosters inequality, despite the county's intent to focus on insurance reimbursements and ‘compassionate billing,'" he said.

In Prince George's County, where an ambulance fee was adopted in 2008, there also were concerns that people would hesitate to call 911 when they needed help, according to Mark Brady, chief spokesman for the Prince George's County fire and EMS service.

"But what we have seen is that is not the case," Brady said. "If people are experiencing emergencies they are still going to call 911 regardless of the fees."

Like Montgomery County's fee, the Prince George's fee targets insurance companies — not residents — for payment.

Councilman George L. Leventhal (D-At large) of Takoma Park said volunteer firefighters have threatened to quit over changes in the past, including a decision to merge volunteers and career personnel under unified command. But those threats were never realized, he said.

In fact, the volunteer fire service is stronger than ever, he said.