More News

Montgomery County volunteer firefighters strongly opposed to a proposed ambulance fee have vowed to take the issue to referendum if the County Council approves the legislation next month.

Leaders of the county's Volunteer Fire Rescue Association discussed the referendum option during a press conference Tuesday morning at the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rescue Squad.

"We want [the County Council] to take this off the table and do the right thing," Eric. N. Bernard, executive director of the rescue association, said as he stood beneath a banner decrying the fees. "This is not a threat, and we don't want it to be construed that way. But we hope enough of them will say, ‘Yes, we have to fund expenses, but not at this cost.'"

The ambulance fee, proposed by County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), is designed to pay for fire and rescue services without having to levy additional taxes.

The transport fee would generate an estimated $14 million annually for improvements, as the department struggles to provide services to an expanding county, officials said.

Under the proposal, the county would bill insurance companies for ambulance service, which ranges from $350 to $700, and accept whatever amount the insurers pay. County residents would not be responsible for any difference in payments, deductibles or co-payments. Nonresidents would be responsible for the difference.

Leggett originally proposed the fee as part of his budget recommendation for the current fiscal year. The council did not include the fee in the final budget, choosing instead to delay action until this fall.

The volunteer fire association has argued that the fee would dissuade some residents from calling for ambulance service and also could hurt volunteer units' fundraising donations. Career firefighters have supported the legislation.

Several other area jurisdictions currently levy ambulance fees, including Fairfax County and Washington, D.C. Data from those counties have not shown a decline in calls for ambulance service.

The council's Public Safety Committee is scheduled to continue discussion of the legislation — and possibly vote on it — tomorrow. Pending committee work, the full council could vote on the legislation Nov. 18.

Councilmen Philip M. Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg and Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Potomac have come out against the fees.

"I do believe it is critically important that we support the invaluable service that our fire and rescue volunteers provide to our community in conjunction with our fire and rescue career professionals," Berliner said in a statement released Tuesday.

Berliner represents the Bethesda-Chevy Chase area, home to the BCC Rescue Squad, which is staffed by some of the most vocal opponents of the fees.

With the county facing a $251 million projected budget shortfall beginning in July, administration officials have noted the increased importance of passing the legislation.

"If somebody wants to have a referendum on something, that's fine. The fact of the matter is we proposed this to meet a need," said Patrick K. Lacefield, Leggett's spokesman. "We cannot get fire and rescue the resources it needs. We can fund it through either taxes or take money that's already being collected through insurance companies. If we don't do one, that means we may have to do the other two."

But implementing other cost-saving alternatives could solve the problems, volunteers said.

Among their recommendations are even more reductions throughout the department in overtime compensation, which was the focus of an Inspector General's report earlier this year. The Montgomery County Volunteer Fire Rescue Association also recommends using volunteer fire chiefs to staff weekend shifts for paid career fire chiefs and to provide volunteer staff to satisfy four-person staffing on fire and rescue calls and apparatus.

Topping their recommendations is the use of a reserve amount of the county's fire tax to fund needed services in the department, said Marcine D. Goodloe, rescue association president.

Following Tuesday's announcement, county fire and rescue officials were unfazed.

Assistant Chief Scott Graham said a fire tax reserve does not exist.

"There is no extra money in the fire tax," he said. "The fire tax fund includes a small reserve which is used for emergencies such as if a fire station burns down tomorrow, it can be quickly replaced."

As for using volunteers to staff paid positions, volunteer units first must consistently staff their own positions before being considered for the other positions, Graham said. "When they can fill those positions, then we can proceed to the next step. This is just another idle comment that is not productive."

Overall, the department is moving forward with what it believes is a beneficial bill for county residents, he said.

"Somebody threatening referendum is not on our plate," Graham continued.

The department has garnered support for the legislation from some community and civic organizations, as well as CASA of Maryland, an immigrant advocacy organization.

The volunteers have waged an aggressive opposition campaign against the fees. Thousands of red, white and blue signs commissioned by the volunteers have been placed on roads throughout the county, encouraging residents to lobby council members to vote against the bill.

As of Friday, the council receptionist had received 1,113 opposing the fees and 58 in support of the legislation.