Davidsmeyer’s bill could help rural rescue squads
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By BETH ZUMWALT
Pending legislation could benefit local emergency service agencies.
New legislation has passed the Illinois House that will ease the financial burden on rural emergency services. The bill will now move to the senate. The bill, proposed by C.D. Davidsmeyer, representative for this area, would allow rescue squads to set, charge, and collect fees for rescue squad and ambulance services not exceeding the reasonable cost of the service.
“Right now, ambulances can charge for their services, bill insurance companies, etc. Rescue squads can not,” Davidsmeyer said. “This will enable to rescue squads and ambulances to try to collect at least the cost of the service.”
Davidsmeyer said the bill was necessary to keep emergency services in the rural areas.
“We have to do everything we can to ensure that rural areas have viable emergency services. This will allow rescue squads, providing medical services, to recoup the reasonable cost of the service; similar to volunteer fire departments,” Davidsmeyer said. “This idea came to me from the Meredosia-Bluffs Rescue Squad, a volunteer service, to provide a much needed revenue source to rescue squads, particularly in rural parts of our state.”
Alan Merryman, a member of the Meredosia-Bluffs Rescue squad, said the money gained from the ability to charge could be the solution to the problems faced by the squad.
“When we started the squad 50 years ago, we had an abundance of volunteers to run the service,” Merryman said. “Now we are down to five. We operate only on tax dollars and that is not enough to be able to hire people and the volunteers are not as plentiful as they once were.”
Merman said the squad answers approximately 300 calls per year.
M-B RS had a measure on the ballot earlier this month to increase the levy for the district served by the squad.
“Our original levy was two-tenths of one percent,” Merryman said. “The referendum, which passed, raised it another 4/10s of one percent for a total of 6/10. That should generate us about $200,000. If this bill makes it through the senate, maybe we won’t have to add the tax on to the tax bills.”
“Another perk of the bill passing would be the district could offer the EMTs and paramedics something for their time,” Merryman said. “It used to be those who wanted to be EMTs took a class, went to Passavant for six hours and they were certified. It has become so much more stringent now. No body wants to do all of that for a volunteer job.”
House Bill 2972 has been assigned to the Illinois Senate Local Government Committee and is scheduled for a public hearing at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19.
