A fee charged to people who receive medical response from Redding Fire Department has been rescinded by the City Council. The action was done during Tuesday’s meeting. The Fire Department responds to around 16,000 calls a year. About 65% of them are medical calls and about 1,200 of them are “lift assists”, which means non-critical assistance getting up after a fall. All medical first responder calls became subject to a fee of $489, and they were being billed retroactively back to the start of the year. The City Council voted in the fee two years ago but the city only started collecting them this month. A vocal opposition to the policy made themselves heard at Tuesday’s meeting and the Council capitulated. $106,000 worth of bills had already been sent and $10,000 of it has been received. The bills will be canceled and the payments will be refunded.
– Steve Gibson