FDNY Seeks to Raise Prices for Ambulance Service From EMS

The Fire Department is proposing to increase its ambulance charges to patients and insurers for Emergency Medical Service response in order to meet rising costs.

TOM EPPINGER: A way to shield EMS from cuts.

The charge for a Basic Life Support ambulance will be $515 (up from $475). It will rise to $750 from $600 for Advanced Life support at the first level and to $850 from $700 for the second level.

James Hansen of the FDNY's Bureau of Legal Services said that the increases were needed "to reflect increased costs and help defray the city's cost of providing these services."

Jan. 20 Hearing

A hearing on the change will take place Jan. 20 at 2:15 p.m. in the auditorium of the FDNY's headquarters at 9 MetroTech in downtown Brooklyn.

Tom Eppinger, who as president of Local 3621 of District Council 37 represents EMS officers, said that the rate raises made it possible for the department to address budget shortfalls without cutting EMS service.

"They weren't looking to cut the first round for EMS," he said. "Raising the rate, I believe, was to stop that. They came up with a proposal that put it on the consumer and not cutting service. And unfortunately health-care costs a lot and the cost of EMS rises and the Fire Commissioner proposed no cuts to EMS, which was satisfactory to me."

He lamented that the cost would be passed on to the patients.

"I do feel bad that people have to pay it, but we are still providing an ambulance service that I believe is the best in the country," Mr. Eppinger said.

EMS union leaders have often said that they believed their members were underpaid in relation to both how many lives they saved and how much revenue they brought in for the city from the ambulance billing fees.