June 09, 1997
INDIVIDUAL DECISIONS of four volunteer fire companies to charge for ambulance runs this year underscores an inevitable change in the delivery of emergency medical services in Carroll County.
Sooner rather than later, the other 10 volunteer companies will have to charge for their ambulance runs, even if the membership is divided over such fee-for-service operations. That will have a serious impact on the philosophy of volunteer fire/emergency service that has prevailed in Carroll for more than a century.
Soaring demand for emergency medical service, and a scarcity of trained volunteers, is driving volunteer units to bill patients or, rather, their insurance companies, for ambulance calls. More and more, the county is paying medics to staff shifts that volunteers can't; some fire companies also hire fill-ins.
The mix of charge and no-charge ambulance service might muddle along for years, if left up to the independent volunteer companies.
But the decision to charge by Westminster, the largest and dominant unit in the firemen's association, is forcing others to follow suit.
It is also forcing the county toward adopting a uniform policy of charging ambulance fees and determining the allocation of these funds, which could reach $3.5 million a year.
A consistent countywide system is essential for efficiency, accountability and reliability.
The county should set and collect uniform fees, which must be earmarked for fire companies operations and improvements, not an offset against current county government funding. Fee pooling for equitable reallocation to all companies is also necessary.
While a divided committee of fire companies' members is studying the issue, the decision is increasingly foreclosed.
Supporters of the charge plan insist that no one will be denied or delayed emergency medical response because of insurance coverage.
Fire officials are also adamant that a charge would only apply to emergency medical calls, not to fire calls.
Pragmatics rather than philosophy will prevail. Even if most members, and county residents, might prefer a pure, unpaid volunteer service, the reality is something else. Changes must be made to maintain the unbroken web of ambulance service in Carroll.
Pub Date: 6/09/97
