Pay Per 9/11 Service

We're going to begin seeing more and more of these types of fee for service systems:

Residents making 911 calls requiring emergency medical services will now have to pay a fee.

The Loma Linda Fire Department plans to charge residents $300 for each 911 call beginning Monday.

Residents can choose to pay a $48 dollar yearly fee and not be charged for each call.

Non-residents will be charged $400 for each 911 call.

No fee will be charged for police or fire emergencies.

I don't have any real problem with this. $48 a year seems a pretty reasonable fee for unlimited 9/11 service, and it beats having the city jack up property taxes which would probably end up being far more than $48.

It costs money every time those big shiny trucks roll out of the station, and the older you are the more likely you may need to use their services. While this fee will help offset the costs involved, it doesn't address 9/11 abuse. I know if a situation in which an elderly lady with significant health problems called the paramedics out more than 60 times in a matter of a couple of years. The woman was very difficult to deal with, and at least one local hospital refuses to take her anymore. She's known to both fire department, ambulance and hospital personnel by name because she's used the services so frequently.

And while the firefighters and medics were tending to her their units were unavailable for real emergencies occurring in their districts. Response times were delayed as units from outside had to come in and handle their calls. I don't know if she ever cost anyone else their lives, but it could have happened. A $48 fee wouldn't fix that if it gives you access to the system with no caps on service.

The only problem with a fee like this is once it's in place there's always the temptation to raise it.