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Ill. officials consider charging for ambulance service

Residents may have to pay for ambulance service, child car seat checks and other fees to fill a $450,000 budget hole

Angie Leventis Lourgos
Chicago Tribune

CAROL STREAM, Ill. — Carol Stream fire officials are considering charging residents for ambulance service, child car seat checks and other fees to fill a $450,000 budget hole, but one trustee calls for more control over pricey purchases instead.

“We make purchases like this without making educated decisions,” said Trustee Jim Panopoulos.

The Fire Protection District spent $47,000 last summer on sensors that can track firefighters if they’re trapped in a building, but the technology hasn’t been used because the district hasn’t determined how to attach the sensors to firefighters’ apparatus. Chief Rick Kolomay, who started Jan. 1, after the sensors were purchased, said the devices work, but “there’s a technical aspect we need to work out.”

Full Story: Carol Stream residents might pay for ambulance service