On Monday January 4, the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District is set to propose a $337 First Responder Fee on those who receive service by the fire district.
If approved tonight, a hearing will occur on February 1, 2016 for the proposed adoption of the ordinance. The draft ordinance does not differentiate between fees for residents and fees for non-residents of the District.
According to the Fire District, the First Responder Fee will help pay for the Enhanced EMT Differential Pay (a 5% pay increase) approved on December 28, 2015 at a Special Meeting of the Board. The Enhanced EMT agreement now allows for firefighters to provide in field medical care under their contract for patients who are experiencing allergic reactions, airway obstructions, overdoses
The fee will be charged to each person who receives District provided emergency medical first-responder services during a single incident. The estimated revenue for the fee is about $600,000 annually according to Chief Hugh Henderson.
Here is a look at the Staff Report on the item:
SUBJECT BACKGROUND
Under the Fire Protection District Law of 1987, if a district finds it does not have adequate revenue available to provide the services that it is empowered to provide including:
- fire protection services
- rescue services
- emergency medical services
- hazardous material emergency response services
- ambulance services
- any other services relating to the protection of lives and property, it may raise additional revenue pursuant to several alternative methods.
Among these methods, the District can charge a fee to recover the cost of any service it provides, such as providing emergency medical response services in case of injury or illness (known as “first-responder fees”). Such fees may not exceed the costs reasonably borne by the District in providing the service for which the fee is charged. The cost of holding the hearing described below and the costs of administering the fee also may be recovered from the fees charged. The District may not use first-responder fees for new construction or acquiring equipment.
The ordinance would establish a schedule of fees for providing emergency medical first-responder services according to the following calculation:
Emergency Medical First-Responder Fee Calculation
Total Hourly Rate
Fire Captain $ 121.07
Fire Engineer $ 112.24
Firefighter $ 104.30
Emergency Medical First-Responder Fee $ 337.61
These hourly rates were developed for and included in the District’s 2015/16 Cost Allocation Plan developed by the City of Brentwood and presented to the Finance Committee at its December 17, 2015 meeting. The draft ordinance does not differentiate between fees for residents and fees for non-residents of the District.
The Administration of first-responder fees consists of tasks including, but not limited to: tracking of first-responder services provided; identification of financially-responsible parties; calculation of total fees to be charged; invoicing and collecting payment; and processing of waiver requests (if permitted) and appeals. The draft ordinance provides that the Fire Chief may delegate all or some tasks required for administration of the first-responder fees to another public agency in Contra Costa County.
Additionally, the draft ordinance charges the Fire Chief or his designee with developing policies and procedures required for invoicing, billing, and receiving payments under the ordinance, including a policy for discharging accounts that are not collectible. At the February 1 meeting, the Board also will be asked to adopt a separate resolution to permit the District to waive payment of first-responder fees when payment of the fees would not be in the public interest.
The proposed ordinance and related resolution would have no effect on the provision of emergency medical first-responder services and their adoption will not be a waiver of any other means of cost recovery available to the District by law.
For the Staff Report, click here.
If you go:
East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Board Meeting
6:30 pm at Oakley City Hall
3231 Main Street, Oakley
40 comments
My god, firefighter raises, now a fee. Is this Board trying to kill all public support of the district? This fee is outrageous and hope people fill the room to stop this nonsense.
This is disgusting
We already pay taxes for fire service; we do not need to double pay. If I get a bill, I am suing them.
The problem here is education. Residents in areas served East Contra Costa Fire Protection District don’t pay enough taxes because of how the county collects taxes for it. The above commentators ignorance is evidence again that the only way to fix this problem is to get the word out and stop blaming the district.
I’m saddened (but not surprised) that it’s come to this. In today’s society, there’s a fee for everything.
I agree with Sean I, This affluent area is uneducated in how their services are provided and who pays for them. The perception is that ECCFD makes too much money and apparently need to be penalized for it, The reality is that they are the lowest paid in the area and because of financial restrictions, provide the LEAST service to the affluent folks in our fair city. These guys work quite hard on a daily basis due to station closures, and while they do their best to not let anything slip through the cracks, it is only a matter of time before the subpar service we taxpayers have forced by refusing a tax, bites us on our backside.
Bottom line is that services cost money. The goal shouldn’t be to continue doing the bare minimum token heads above water, but to bring the level of service in Brentwood and surrounding areas to an “Industry standard” level.
Our families, our homes, our way of life is protected by public safety services. These services cost money. Why do we allow sub par service in a town where people live in expensive homes, and drive expensive are, and claim to want the best of things. All while gambling with our health and safety and well being.
People need to wake up and educate themselves on how the system works, and strive to better it, not cripple it. Who wants to step up and be the first to allow increased damage to their homes or health due to poor response times and service levels forced upon the men and women that protect us, because it feels more important to get more Latte’s, and drive nicer, more expensive cars. EDUCATE YOURSELVES PEOPLE!!!
The cost will likely prevent people who cannot afford the $337 from calling for help when they ought to, and lives may certainly be lost. On the other hand, habitual callers who voice minor ailments (and they’re out there!) may be deterred from calling frequently. Maybe what should be taken into consideration is if the caller does call frequently for non emergencies, the first responders might consider warning them the second time in a to be determined period of time and if a third call comes in for a non emergency…send ’em a bill…and for somewhat more than $337, unless that third or subsequent calls are deemed truly an emergency by the responders. All in all … voters should have voted in last year’s request for an increase on our property taxes. It is going to cost us much more in the long run!
This district is the lowest paid. Someone quoted $17. an hour for a firefighter in the CC Times. How do they come up with charging $104. dollars an hour ? We do not even have paramedics. What a scam.
@jerry,
Do you think they would have stopped there. It is only just begun. A new fee or tax at every turn as long as they can get away with it. The sky is falling. No, the people in charge are not doing their job.
Educate yourselves, indeed.
http://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2014/east-contra-costa-fire-protection-district/
The problem with the district is how the county allocates property taxes paid by residents. The problem is the county doesn’t properly fund the district at reasonable amounts. We pay the same gross amount of taxes as other districts though our money goes to other places instead of enough to our district.
Sean I, it’s been explained here often So it’s crazy to see people still confused after all this time. The county does not allocate property taxes. The state does that thru pre set prop 13 formulas. The county is only the tax collector. Not even the Board of sups has say. It’s all done by an elected tax collector and even he has no decision about the allocations. We all pay 1 percent but it is divided up differently depending on where we live and the percentages allowed to the unique services we receive. The tax collector must follow state law on this. Check out his website, it’s all explained there. Bob Campbell is his name and it’s really easy to get the right information.
Thanks for pointing to the pay chart. These salaries are well below the same positions elsewhere. The district will continue to lose experienced firefighters to neighboring agencies, and what will be left is a constantly rotating group of firefighters that are “cutting their teeth” in hopes of moving on to a better paying department. This does nothing for the future of our cities. It is a horrible business plan
Ever thought about someone just wanting to work for their community that they live in? In the real days of public emergency work salaries were not the leading factor when saving lives and working with the public. Not that the pay isn’t a problem, but geesh what happen to a good solid job in the public sector with great benefits ? I think the existing firefighters are here because of more than just money. They should be praised for staying loyal to their community. There is more to a happy life than the almighty dollar. Let’s get the fee, the new development assessment, AND additional tax. Along with that lets get 5 elected board members. It’s time.
Ever thought of looking at the housing market? How can you both “afford to live in or even near this community’ and work for a subpar wage. I don’t know you, your occupation, or living situation, but It must be easy to sit back and expect that of the very people who will sacrifice for your well being and safety.
And i am not suggesting that we approve taxes simply to pay them more. I am suggesting we pay taxes so that we can have the level of service that is considered the norm. The fix is multifaceted. It starts with a taxable that gets the staffing where it needs to be, so that Paramedics and rescue equipment get to you in a timely fashion. Down the road comes the need to balance out salary and needs vs keeping firefighters with knowledge, abilities, and institutional knowledge.
Every other City and district has struggled with these issues and ended up with a level of service that is acceptable. We are not reinventing the wheel here. Most people if asked, do not know why a fire engine responds with an ambulance, or what the difference between and EMT, an “Enhanced EMT” and a Paramedic is, nor what those levels of care bring to the outcome of your or your loved ones medical emergency. It is why I keep encouraging people to educate themselves on this stuff, because bottom line. Once you know what you are getting, vs what you should be getting, I believe you will also find it unacceptable.
Why a property or parcel tax option?? Shouldn’t all residents or those passing through pay for emergency care?
So this fee $337. for Enhanced EMT is to help allergic reactions, overdoses and airway obstructions. What are they (the firefighters) going to be able to do that they couldn’t before? And by the way, who gave them ECCFD, the authority to do this?
.
So they will charge for an hour but actually provide only 5-10 mins of care until the ambulance arrives?? How much are they going to charge if they put out a house fire that takes them several hours and a dozen or more firefighters?
They could have been absorbed/merged with the largest fire dept in the county but pride and the desire to remain the “mom n pop local” fire dept got in the way.
Question, was the 5% raise, a real raise or for ECCFD to have Enhanced EMT’s? With all the paperwork, record-keeping etc. will the $337.00 (from people who’ll actually pay) pay for all the red tape this “enhancement” will actually bring to our (per Mike C )”affluent communities” & “people live in expensive homes, and drive expensive cars”. Mike you must be talking about Brentwood because most of us “uneducated in how their services are provided and who pays for them.” here in Oakley don’t think we are affluent or have expensive homes or cars.
Currently the ECCFD doesn’t provide Paramedic service, the best they can produce is “Enhanced EMT’s” which is a few extra skills tacked on to a Basic Life Support provider. This is a stop gap measure while awaiting a paramedic to arrive.
ECCFD depends on a private ambulance company to provide Advanced life support. This means their arrival time is based on a contract with the county that allows them to arrive several critical minutes later.(Minutes you need in serious illnesses). This contract is renegotiated regular and times are allowed to fluctuate.
The Fire based Paramedic model assures Paramedic care from the first arriving engine. It is considered the standard of care in this country. It is also something we don’t get. Therefore, we are receiving subpar service in an area with high property values (Even in Oakley) and a hope for more residents and businesses in our future.
That’s true Mike C, but American Medical Response (AMR) the ambulance company that contracts with Contra Costa County for 911 service did provide Paramedics to the areas of ECCFPD and Crockett without any Fire Paramedics. Quick Response Vehicles (QRV’s with one Paramedic) in Brentwood, Discovery Bay (for approx 20 years) and Crockett. That coverage was provided by AMR without any compensation from the county. As of this week a new contract started between the County and AMR. Under the previous contract those QRV’s/Paramedic’s were dedicated to those areas. Now the QRV’s have been replaced with Ambulances that will respond to calls and transport to area hospitals (if patient requires/request transport), but another AMR transporting ambulance will need to be dispatched out here. . Many residents probably didn’t realize they had Paramedics out here, they just not employed by ECCFPD. In a lot of articles about or from ECCFPD that talk about them not having Paramedic (they are EMT trained tho) omit that we had a dedicated Paramedic that responded from fire houses in Discovery Bay and Brentwood. With the new contract with AMR the county saw fit to have AMR close down those Paramedic QRV;s as of this week. Why? Maybe residents should ask the Board of Supervisors.
@Dede, great point. They county reduces met services by eliminating QRVs and we get a fee to offset. Why BOS ? How could you knowing the dire situation in east county. Why ? We get screwed again by the county.
A very good question. My guess, and it is only an experienced based guess, The QRV’s have gone away with the new ambulance contract. They have in fact been replaced by full fledged ambulances, This is actually larger problem because of the deployment strategies by AMR. AMR is a private company. They do not make decisions that are based on them losing money. They are not going to put out extra ambulances to make up for the loss of QRV’s. QRV’s also historically are required to have a faster response time than transport ambulances. Now that only transports exist out here, the allowable response time is longer. Thus leaving us taxpayers to wait longer for Advanced Life Support care. This of course means poorer outcomes after major medical conditions. Couple that with the fact that we seriously lack hospitals in our area, and we are in trouble.
Dede, It appears that the firefighters got a 5percent raise AND another 5percent for an EMT enhancement.
I’m new to the idea of pay increases for “EMT enhancement”. Is that some kind of fireman’s standard or are they just being creative?
That’s what I’m understanding Wait, from reading everything that is available on the subject out there. One thing I’m not understanding is what “EMT enhancement” is. I’ve looked online for a description and didn’t see any fire districts that uses that term. Many depts. use “Advanced EMT” in the job descriptions. What will the ‘enhancements’ include? The fire dept. just showing up with 3 ff’s on a call was the norm. But now they want to charge for them showing up. That’s not enhanced from before. I’m getting the feeling that the $337. enhancement is just away to pay for the raises. And if so, I”d say they put the cart before the horse. And what health insurance has a provision (codes) for the Fire Dept. showing up and charging? Not mine. Guess we’ll have to show up to the meeting on Feb. 1st. to find out.
Deedee,
You bring up a good point, what exactly is the 5% enhancement and what is the actual raise. 5% of what? Is it across the board to all positions? ECT please find out because the District is not being clear. What is enhanced and what is considered standard?
Thanks Dede. I asked around and I can’t find anyone that is compensated extra beyond either classification of EMT or Paramedic. It’s fishy. Many people have lost trust in this fire district and this only provides reason for that conclusion. I’m very disappointed with this “end around” attempt to play us for fools by both sides. We are not stupid. When will they learn? When?
East County is hardly “affluent.” Even the nicer cities. Affluent would be Danville, Alamo, Orinda, etc. Just to name a few. Thanks for the laugh.
Thank you Jennifer. IF we were so “affluent” this problem wouldn’t exist in the first place. When we went from a Volunteers/Paid on call system times were ‘good’ and the powers that be gave us the impression that we were ready for system we have now. I feel that the powers either didn’t look ahead far enough or didn’t look at “worst case scenarios” like a down turn in our economy. Articles say ECCFPD has made adjustments to retirements for the future, but that doesn’t help with what has to be paid out currently to retirees. When asking for more money from the tax paying residents ECCFPD asked for the moon (money to add paramedics, upgrading to that type of system is expensive) instead of asking for the amount of money that would have kept all our fire stations open period. The consulting firm that was paid good tax payer money to come up with a dollar amount they felt could win was rejected by the powers that be. Why hire (pay) a consulting firm but not heed their recommendations?
I doubt you would place Pittsburg, Richmond, San Pablo, or Hercules/Rodeo as “affluent” either, but they are still getting a far better level of service out of their Fire District than we are….
It is always easier (and cheaper) to take a “won’t happen to me” attitude, But fate is not that selective…
One correction Mike, Richmond Fire personnel are EMT’s. They do not have Paramedics out there either. Pittsburg is ConFire. And a previous post said something about we have no hospitals out here. Sutter and Kaiser are out here. And the trauma center and Children’s Hospital is usually just a helicopter ride away. God forbid.
I appreciate your correction. Richmond still tops us in fire protection, and ConFire has Paramedics) You clearly possess some understanding of public safety. I am however unclear of what you are arguing against. Are you saying that you are perfectly fine with the current status? If so, that is of course your prerogative. I am (Obviously) NOT happy with the level of service I pay for and believe that if the district and our elected politicians can’t resolve this outcry, then there needs to be a change of direction. Either administration, Or long term plan. Such as a Brentwood Fire Department, or an Oakley Fire Department, or a merge with Contra Costa Fire…
Mike, I’m just pointing out what we had and who provided what. With all the trauma calls in Richmond from gsw’s you’d think they’d want medics but the Fire Chief didn’t want them. And really in the end with trauma calls, what helps the most is quick transport. And explaining why the previous request for monies were rejected by taxpayers/voters (in my own personal opinion). Mike you’re assuming that ConFire wants ECCFPD aren’t you? I’m very disappointed in our Supervisor Mary Piepho for not making a stand for at least keeping the QRV’s out in Discovery Bay and Brentwood. Maybe she doesn’t care since she’s not running again? If the Board would have made an issue to keep the QRV’s AMR would have had to keep them. But obviously the BOS didn’t this time around for some reason. Not sure how having separate Fire Depts. would help out the entire East County area. But maybe I’m missing something.
You are very correct in being disappointed in our supervisors and BOS in general. I don’t believe that our interests were at all represented while Confire and AMR got into bed together (So to speak). All I know is we have lesser service today than we did a week ago, and that this problem needs to be fixed sooner rather than later.
As to ConFires desire for ECC, I am sure the expanded district would be fine with them, but that we would have to meet their established response times and staffing levels, which also would cost more money
I don’t necessarily think that separate departments is at all the fix for everyone. I just think that if we are going to fix this issue, we need to step back first, identify the needs, establish a desired level of service goal, and then figure out how to get there. A Fee based service will only fulfill the subpar status quo. I am not a fan of “striving for mediocrity.” We can do better than this for ourselves.
It appears the district is grasping at straws on this one. Its caught in a no win situation for long term success. By charging the very people who pay taxes already to the county for this service and labeling it enhanced is reaching. The irony in this would be the removal of county responsible QRVs. This is the county taking away services (QRVs provided this last ten years) and telling the fire district it’s their problem. The county needs to pay the enhancement because they took it away without mitigating with ECCFPD. Let the BOS know it’s unacceptable. These last two moves by the district (10% raise 5/5) and a fee for service while removing QRVs will definitely affect the outcome of a new tax on top of this.
It’s been over 20 years that the QRV’s have been out here. They started in 1992 at the old Bryon Station.
Thank you Dede Hodge for the correct amount of years quoted by Local. Now the county takes away QRVs worth a million each annually and gives the fire district 600K telling you they care. You people think that was good deal? To top it off we lose two million in tax funding from the county health intended for paid QRVs and will pay 337. for a lesser EMT while taking away precious resources from fire fighting. How dumb can East County people be to believe we are be represented by our Supervisor. I know who’s hands the blood will be on for this.
Citizen Jim you seem to be mad at the wrong people. There are some really good articles posted on this website including a recent one this morning. You should read them because they contradict your assumptions. Maybe that’s why you are mad? Try to educate yourself my friend. You are being given the right information by the person who runs this site. He is doing all the homework to make it easy to understand. It looks to me like you have some long standing grudge which you are trying to apply here. That’s not right and is complicating a confusing issue. I ask that you put your anger aside and stay on the subject. Thank you.
Walt,
I’m mad yes, but not at this site. This site has only reinforced that legitimacy. I’m mad at the BOS. Everyone in East County should be too. East County always gets left behind when it comes to services because of our BOS. Yes, I’m tired of being told all these money excuses while at the same time 30% and even 10% raises are a priority. Pretty soon all the tax revenue will go to county perks and benefits. We will be left on our own while still paying and paying and paying more.
Yes, I’m mad. You should be too. That’s the problem. The public is just letting this happen.
BTW, thanks ECT for displaying this unfortunate information that the county has hid from us. People, start learning CPR. The only transport will be from the coroner. Maybe increase his fleet.
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