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Fire District 7 provides ambulance transport to all citizens within the fire district and the City of Mill Creek. All patients who require transport to a hospital or medical facility receive emergency care and transport to their hospital of choice or the hospital that is most appropriate for their condition. We offer this service from seven different stations located throughout the fire district and the City of Mill Creek.
Emergency treatment and transport are provided for both basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS). Patients are treated by Firefighter/E.MT's and Firefighter/Paramedics of our fire district. Treatment and transport is provided by four BLS ambulances and three ALS ambulances that respond to all 911 calls for emergency care and treatment. Patients with non-life threatening illness or injury are transported by a fire department BLS ambulance. Patients with life-threatening illness or injury, such as a cardiac problem or major trauma from an accident, are transported by a fire department ALS ambulance.
We have been responding, treating and transporting patients for many years and provided paramedic level service to our citizens since 1982. This emergency medical service has been provided by a voter-approved EMS Levy @25¢ per $1,000 of assessed valuation since 1982. This levy rate, which is the lowest in Snohomish County, has not been increased since it was first approved. Because of the rising cost of providing high level treatment and transport for both BLS and ALS patients, the decision was made to institute a transport fee for patients transported by a fire department ambulance. These transport fees were implemented in 1995 after the Board of Fire Commissioners voted to not ask the public to increase the EMS Levy from 25¢ to 50¢ per thousand of assessed valuation.
This decision was made after a survey was sent to all the registered voters in the fire district which asked if the voters would prefer a general EMS Levy increase or a transport fee paid by the patients who were transported.
The overwhelming majority of citizens who returned the survey voted in favor of the transport fee. The transport fee was only assessed to those patients who needed transport to a medical facility. Response and treatment of patients is still provided for by the fire district per the original EMS Levy.
Presently, the transport fees are $400. for BLS and $600. for ALS transports and $7.50 per mile for the transport distance. These fees are considerably less than private ambulance and are comparable and often less than what other fire agencies charge for transport. All of the billings for transport are from the fire district headquarters station billing office.
A resident of the fire district, who is transported by a fire district ambulance, will have his insurance billed for the transport if insurance information is provided and the patient signs the medical records release provided. The fire district utilizes the Office of Inspector General opinion, which states that the fire district can bill a resident's insurance company and waive any co-payment from the resident. This co-payment is considered an out-of-pocket expense that the resident has already paid with their taxes. In this situation, the resident would receive a notification that their insurance was being billed and would not receive a bill for the transport or the co-payment that the resident would have to pay. If there is no insurance information provided, then the transport bill will be sent to the patient for disposition. The billing office staff is available five days a week and can be reached by voice mail after hours to help answer any questions relating to a transport bill.
From one single transport unit in 1982 to the present fleet of seven transport units that Snohomish County Fire District 7 utilizes, there has been a dramatic increase in the need for emergency care and transport of patients. We are committed to providing the highest level of emergency care, treatment and transport to all the citizens of the district and the City of Mill Creek.
In order to provide this level of service and keep the cost to the general taxpayer low, the transport fee has been utilized to provide the extra revenue to provide the transport capability to all citizens who need 911 emergency care and transport.
We wish to thank all of the citizens who have supported the fire district and we look forward to serving you in the future.
Do you have a question concerning a statement you received? Give us a call any Monday - Friday between 8:30am and 4:30pm and we will be happy to assist you. Many times just having the correct information will save us time and you money. 425-212-7150 or 1-888-643-6565 |
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