KINGWOOD, W.Va. (AP) -- Preston County residents, who have rejected three attempts to impose a countywide assessment for fire and ambulance services, will now be charged up to $500 for a service call from firefighters.
County commissioners adopted the ordinance on Monday to benefit the county's 12 volunteer fire departments.
``As a county we cannot furnish them with too much financial support,'' Commissioner Darwin Wolfe said Tuesday. ``We give them $2,000 a year.''
The last attempt to impose a countywide fee was in 2002, he said.
Officials with Bruceton's volunteer department pushed for the ordinance because it makes more than 300 calls a year and ``they can't raise enough local funds to keep them going,'' Wolfe said.
The ordinance establishes hourly charges for services ranging from responding to vehicle accidents to house fires. The total bill cannot exceed $500. Extra fees will be charged for dealing with hazardous materials.
Wolfe predicted that most of the charges will be paid by insurance companies.
