Paramedics for a price

(Santa Rosa Fire Department crews respond to an average of 33 medical emergency calls every day of the year -- all without directly charging those they help. But the cash-strapped city may give households and businesses a choice: either an insurance-like monthly fee or face a $350 service charge when city paramedics show up at the door to save a life.)

The Santa Rosa Fire Department has 10 fire stations for a population of about 158,000. This means each station responds to 3.3 emergency calls each 24 hours, or slightly more than 1 per 8 hours. That hardly seems like a strain on a bunch of guys sitting in a fire house cooking, watching TV, working out with weights, etc. What do those guys do?

The city of Santa Rosa wants to charge $350 for each emergency medical response. I thought they already were charging with a form of taxes. With the new pay proposal will the city residents get a reduction in their taxes? No! The $350 fee is a hidden tax, a way to raise revenue for the city's employees' pay and benefits, which are already better than the citizens who are forced, that's right, forced to pay for the services. It's not like a voluntary contract between a private business and their customers, which is more human. The forced contracts between the firefighters and their customers are inhuman.

The firefighters are already paid while sitting around the firehouse. Are the residents now going to have to pay twice when a firefighter actually provides a service? Why not charge a fee to respond to someone who actually has a fire!

And of course, the poor will not have to pay the $350 fee. Other citizens will be forced to pay for the services to the poor. The hidden tax is a progressive tax. This will mean the poor will continue to use the system for minor emergencies.

When the government provides a free service it becomes community property and the members of the community will eventually abuse the community property. Just the other day an elderly neighbor tripped and fell, breaking her glasses and scratching her face. She called 9/11, which was completely unnecessary. Another similar incident a few years ago by another neighbor. Neither required help, but since it was 'free', why not call.

In 2007 the Santa Rosa Fire Department received 12,128 calls of which only 714, or less than 6%, were fire related.

Fire departments used to be made up of volunteers. With cell phones and residents disbursed throughout the city, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, anti flammable building materials, it's time to eliminate the expensive government monopoly of the firefighter unions and bring back the volunteer fire fighters.

By providing 'free' paramedic services for the elderly, and latch key kids, the government encourages poor people to live alone, and parents to leave their children alone. If poor people had to pay for these services they would live in a co op, or have a room mate. My elderly neighbor, who called the paramedics when she fell, lives alone in a 3 bedroom condo.

Since the government is going to charge $350 for a paramedic call, the city should offer competing bids by private companies. Private companies could provide emergency services that are more efficient than the government services.

Unfortunately the private companies cannot compete with the government monopoly. Private companies can be sued; they must pay property taxes and income taxes. The government monopoly does not have any of these constraints. The government monopoly employees even get to elect the city council members who will approve the pay and lavish benefits of the government mob employees. Still, it would be nice if a resident could opt out of paying the forced taxes for paramedic services and elect to have private care, like some elect Triple A for automobile care.

Charles Tolleson