"911 Emergency Response: That'll be $300 please."

Overheal

http://cbs13.com/local/tracy.911.calls.2.1502690.html

TRACY, Calif. (CBS13) ―

Tracy residents will now have to pay every time they call 9-1-1 for a medical emergency.

But there are a couple of options. Residents can pay a $48 voluntary fee for the year which allows them to call 9-1-1 as many times as necessary.

Or, there's the option of not signing up for the annual fee. Instead, they will be charged $300 if they make a call for help.

"A $300 fee and you don't even want to be thinking about that when somebody is in need of assistance," said Tracy resident Greg Bidlack.

Residents will soon receive the form in the mail where they'll be able to make their selection. No date has been set for when the charges will go into effect.

And here I thought that sort of expense was covered by my County and State Tax. WTF are they thinking?!

Reminds me of this scene from Transformers: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/dor/objects/568421/transformers_the_movie/videos/trans_clip4_061907.html

Zambia

Yeah this is not wise way of doing this, I can understand ambulance fees. Here in Oz if you need ambulance you either have ambulance cover or pay the costs. God help you if you need an airlift.

However charging for 911 calls means no-one will call the emergency services for anyone else. Lest they be charged. Most time when you are attacked or robbed in public places its the strangers that assist you by calling while you defend yourself.

never mind the increase in visits and direct calls to local stations this will incur.

A rat sh_t of an idea in the making here.

silverharp

You have Police you lucky lucky.........Mish has been running a few blog entries about how State finances are awful. It's good to see a bit of sanity set in

Hoschton, Georgia a city with a population of 1,612 is out of cash and voted to dissolve the police department. Please consider Jackson deputies to patrol Hoschton.

The council voted 4-1 last week to scrap the city's three-man police department and its municipal court system in order to save about $360,000 a year. The police department will be completely dismantled by the end of the month.

Open police cases will be transferred to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office and all court cases that are not resolved will be handled in Jackson County State Court.

"We could no longer afford to fund public service as a duplicate service," said Mayor Erma Denney, who took office last month. "Every property owner in Hoschton has already been paying for public safety through the sheriff's office and always has been."

Hoschton leaders have struggled for more than a year to balance residents' desire for autonomous city services with vehement opposition to property taxes, which Hoschton property owners have not had to pay for more than 30 years.

The previous council shrank the department from seven officers to four between 2008 and late 2009.

The final blow came Jan. 13, when Denney and four new councilmen - who all ran on ending the city's budget crisis - adopted an amended budget that shrank 2010 spending by about half.

Well that's one way to end a budget crisis.

Cleveland

Sixty-Seven Cleveland Police Officers Laid Off

Layoffs notices officially took effect for 160 Cleveland firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians on Monday. With a $23 million shortfall in the city budget, only concessions by unions can bring back those laid off.

Firefighters are expected to vote again on an agreement by the end of the week, which would restore 38 positions.

Boston

Police could lay off 200

The Boston Police Department could be forced to lay off as many as 200 police officers because of cuts in state funding, wiping out hiring efforts that strengthened the force after homicides hit a 10-year high in 2005, according to two officials.

It would be the first time in 27 years and only the second time in history that the city lays off police officers.

City budget officials, anticipating large reductions in state funding in the current and coming budget years, have instructed city departments to submit draft budgets with cuts of between 7 and 10 percent. Also facing layoffs under the draft budgets are Boston firefighters and teachers.

The Fire Department has already canceled a class of recruits who were supposed to begin training a few weeks ago and is planning to cancel another class scheduled to start in the spring. It is unclear how many additional Fire Department employees would be cut to reach its target budget, which like the Police Department budget, is 7 percent lower than the current budget.

Tulsa

Tulsa Police Officers Laid Off

Tulsa Police Chief Ron Palmer gave 155 officers pink slips today, amid city budget problems. The officers laid off are the lowest-ranking officers who were most recently hired. They will be getting 2 weeks’ severance pay, along with any unused comp time and vacation time. Many of the officers had to go to work today and will be on the job until the layoffs take effect next Friday. The layoffs represent nearly 20% of the total TPD force. The officers' last day of work will be January 29th. The layoffs will bring the police force to 653. That is the fewest number of officers Tulsa has had in more than 20 years.

Layoffs in police and fire have barely begun to start.

kraggy

There was outrage here a few months ago as it came to light that county councils here charge if you call 999.

The cost varies from council to council but in one case (think it was Sligo) one person had been sent a bill for c.€1200.

Scandalous. What are our taxes for?

Stella777

Overheal wrote: »

http://cbs13.com/local/tracy.911.calls.2.1502690.html



And here I thought that sort of expense was covered by my County and State Tax. WTF are they thinking?!

Reminds me of this scene from Transformers: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/dor/objects/568421/transformers_the_movie/videos/trans_clip4_061907.html

Isn't Tracy one of those "exurban" areas quite far from jobs and very hard hit by the housing collapse? There probably isn't a lot of money flowing into the tax coffers these days.

A couple of months ago I got hit by a car while pushing my younger son in a stroller. Fortunately he wasn't injured, but I was, which meant he had to go in the ambulance too. It's not like they could just leave him at the scene.

I received a bill for both of our use of the ambulance, around $1000 each. Then less than two weeks later, we BOTH received cards from the paramedics solliciting donations. The letter said "Since we were there in your hour of need.." Found it in rather poor taste. And this town has some of the highest property taxes in the nation with relatively stable home values to boot...

I do think that people who dial 911 for frivolous reasons (such as the Orange County woman who called because Burger King wouldn't make a Whopper "her way") should be billed...a LOT.

BluePlanet

Who gets the bill when some randomer rings emergency services for someone else?
Like, if you're going about your business but discover someone in need of emergency attention?
Do you get the bill or they?
If the caller gets stuck with the bill, then you can expect fewer people stepping-up to help.

paraletic

Silverharp2 wrote: »

The previous council shrank the department from seven officers to four between 2008 and late 2009.

The final blow came Jan. 13, when Denney and four new councilmen - who all ran on ending the city's budget crisis - adopted an amended budget that shrank 2010 spending by about half.

i bet they never considered reducing the city council by 4 councilmen!!

the ambo here is free when you ring 999, but i wouldn't be opposed to charging people a small fee if it was being abused. we have people who
call 999 when they can't sleep! thats not an emergency! etc etc....

there is also the frequent flyers... most of those people aren't even sick...

for most of us, when we need an ambo, fire brigade or police, there should be no extra charge, thats what we pay taxes for.

thanks for letting me vent!;)

Run_to_da_hills

At least you won't have pensioners calling 911 to get their poor moggies removed from tree tops and lamp posts.

I only once called 911 for the fire service when fuel started leaking out the engine compartment of my old VW Bus when I lived in San Fransisco. I was afraid to start it in case it would ignite the service station. They were very helpful and located and repaired the fault.

At $300 people are going to compromise and there will be a lot of DIY work in the emergency services. I just hope this type of nonsensedose not spread to this side of the Atlantic.