Pennsylvania Fire Departments Responding to Car Accidents may Start Issuing Bills to Insurance Companies

ESSINGTON, Pa. (AP) -- When the Essington and Lester fire departments respond to car accidents, the motorists' insurance companies may get a bill.

Walt Lee, volunteer chief of the Essington Fire Co., said an ordinance introduced at this week's commissioners' meeting is designed to let the departments ''start making up some of the costs for equipment and man time we put in.''

The ordinance outlines charges including $125 for basic response, $250 for traffic control, cleaning up debris and helping remove vehicles, $375 for less than two hours of traffic control and extracting a single patient, and $500 for extraction of multiple patients, helping police with accident reconstruction, or a ''complicated incident which requires extensive manpower time and services.''

The departments wouldn't send a bill for dealing with medical needs or hazardous materials. A vote is scheduled at the June commissioners' meeting.