Residents who are helped by Redding firefighters are being billed for $500.
Redding Fire Chief Jerrod Vanlandingham told KRCR: "If someone is calling the Redding Fire Department on a consistent, recurring basis, it may mean they are living in an environment that no longer suits their health needs. It’s a hard thing to witness because we care about the people on the other end of every call we receive."
The money will go into the department's operations budget to fund a myriad of things such as rigs, training and tools.
Vanlandingham said fee waiver requests will be reviewed.
Crews were getting up to three calls daily to help people in their homes.
Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.
