By Remus Martin
McAlester News-Capital
MCALESTER, Okla. — City of McAlester will begin offering free ambulance services for McAlester residents.
The service will be supported by a fee on residents’ water bill every month. The fee amount is $5 on every home instead of meter. Commercial businesses are charged too, and it is the same as the residential fee, according to City Manager Ken Wimer.
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“That will raise revenue to support the EMS service and eventually look at some improvements in what we do and provide,” Wimer said.
At a previous meeting, Councilman Chris Stone asked if the city could give residents the chance to opt out of the fee, but Mayor Justin Few said negotiating the fee was more likely than opting out. It is harder for the city to provide this service if half the residents opt out.
Wimer said it will bill approximately 7,200 residents and businesses, which is around $432,000 a year.
The fee is targeted to help residents with ambulance bills after insurance is billed or if residents are uninsured.
Insurance would still be billed for the services McAlester Fire Department EMS provides.
Stone said this is a good idea for everyone, because there are those who are uninsured and those who cannot hit their high deductibles.
He did ask about how people will pay for their hospital visit once there. Wimer said that is not what the fee is for. It is for emergency responses from EMS.
Few said this gives people who are having medical emergencies the ability to have a safe way to get to the hospital without worry of pay.
City Attorney John Hammons said Muskogee County went to free ambulance rides last year. He said it was record-breaking how many calls the county received.
“Make no mistake, there are people in your community having heart attacks, lying on the floor, wondering if they should call EMS,” Hammons said.
Muskogee County only pays for medically necessary rides. If someone wants a ride somewhere, it does not pay for that service.
McAlester Fire Department provides EMS services in McAlester and started in the 1970s.
There are other EMS providers in the area, but McAlester Fire is the first one to respond to a call.
McAlester Fire has three ambulances at all times with a fourth as a backup if one goes down. Currently two of the four ambulances are being repaired. This causes the issue of needing other providers to step in if McAlester Fire is busy or already out with both its ambulances.
If other providers come in, then the city cannot pay for the ambulance ride. Residents must receive service from McAlester Fire for the bill to be paid.
Residents paying the fee could help the fire department grow its EMS services.
“The benefit is the revenue that’s raised helps offset the cost of an operating ambulance service,” Wimer said.
Wimer said eventually they may be able to buy another ambulance with the funds, but that is not the end goal. They are not looking to make profit from this but to offer a service for those needing it.
Council unanimously approved the program and fee amount.
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