HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance #3026 ORDINANCE NO. 3026
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
,. HUNTINGTON BEACH ESTABLISHING PROCEDURES AND
AUTHORIZING CHARGES FOR FIRE-MED SERVICES
WITHIN THE CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH
The City Council of the City of Huntington Beach does ordain
as follows :
SECTION 1. The Huntington Beach Ordinance Code is hereby
amended by adding thereto Chapter 8 . 68 entitled "FireMed Program" to
read as follows :
CHAPTER 8. 68
FIREMED PROGRAM
SECTIONS:
8 . 68 . 010 Purpose
8 . 68 . 020 Definitions
8 . 68 . 030 Administration
8 . 68 .040 Eligibility
8 . 68 . 050 Enrollment
8 . 68 . 060 Member Benefits
8 . 68 . 070 Authorization of Fees
8 . 68 . 080 Implementation
8 . 68 . 090 Duty to Respond
8 . 68 . 100 Exemptions
8 . 68 . 110 Funding
8 . 68 . 120 Program Termination
8. 68.010 Purpose The declared purpose of this chapter is to
reduce life loss and disability by implementing a program funding
additional paramedic units in order to meet current response time
standards . A fee for service and voluntary membership program is
desired to meet these goals by offering a mechanism for residents
and businesses to cap their emergency medical service and ambulance
transportation costs while supporting the expansion of the City' s
paramedic system.
8.68.020 Definitions Unless a different meaning is apparent from
the context or is specified elsewhere in the code, the following
definitions shall be used:
(a) FireMed Services : Those services provided by the
Huntington Beach Fire Department and its designated ambulance
provider related to treatment and transportation provided during the
course of an emergency medical incident .
-1-
(b) FireMed Program: A voluntary membership plan where its
members shall prepay at a fixed price, the uninsured portion of
emergency medical and ambulance services provided by the Huntington
Beach Fire Department.
(c) Member: Residents of Huntington Beach households,
resident businesses and their employees, who have registered with
the City and prepaid the Voluntary Membership Fee.
(d) Advanced Life Support (ALS) : Any Advanced Life Support
medical treatment performed by paramedics (EMT-P) outside of a
hospital . This treatment shall follow the current "Advanced Life
Support Treatment Guidelines" as specified by the Orange County
Emergency Medical Services Agency.
(e) Basic Life Support (BLS) : Any Basic Life Support
treatment which is authorized by the State of California Department
of Health to be performed by Emergency Medical Technicians I (EMT-I)
and/or paramedics (EMT-P) at the scene of a medical emergency.
(f) Ambulance: The designated ground ambulance service,
licensed by the State of California and the County of Orange, which
provide services for the Huntington Beach Fire Department.
8. 68.030 Administration The Fire Chief or his/her designee shall
be responsible for the development of rules, policies and procedures
relating to implementation and administration of the FireMed
Program. The Fire Chief shall report on a yearly basis to the City
Administrator and the City Council on the status of the FireMed
Program. The report shall include a full financial statement which
sets forth the Program' s financial status .
8.68.040 Eligibility The FireMed Program is open to residents,
businesses and employees of non-member businesses located in the
City of Huntington Beach.
8.68.050 Enrollment Each resident and business of the City will
have the opportunity to join the FireMed Program annually during an
enrollment period designated by the Fire Chief .
(1) Persons receiving a utility billing from the City will
automatically be enrolled in the FireMed Program and may terminate
membership at any time.
(2) Households and businesses not receiving a utility bill
may enroll without penalty during the enrollment period.
The Fire Chief shall have authority to charge a processing
fee for late enrollment. New residents and new businesses shall be
exempt from this processing fee.
8.68.060 Member Benefits FireMed members shall receive the
following benefits by joining the voluntary membership program:
(1) Prepayment of the uninsured portion of
(a) ALS charges
-2-
3026
(b) BLS charges
(c) Emergency ambulance transportation
(2) Medical Information File (optional)
(a) Medical information to responding paramedic unit
(b) Minor child treatment release
(c) Member ' s physician
(3) Emergency Contact File (optional)
(a) Notification of parents at work
(b) Notification of other family members
(c) Senior citizen family contact
Additional member benefits may be added at the discretion of
the Fire Chief .
8.68.070 Authorization for Fees Advanced Life Support, Basic
Life Support and Ambulance fees are hereby authorized and shall be
charged in connection with emergency medical care and ambulance
services provided by the Huntington Beach Fire Department. The
amount of such fees shall be set from time to time by resolution of
the City Council . There shall be two categories of fees as follows :
1. The "Fee for Services" shall be a user fee designed to
recover costs associated with the delivery of emergency medical care
and ambulance services . Such fees shall be based on:
(a) Emergencies requiring Basic Life Support (BLS)
services; and
(b) Emergencies requiring Advanced Life Support (ALS)
services; and
(c) Emergencies requiring ambulance transportation to
the nearest medical facility best suited to meet the patient ' s
emergency medical needs .
2 . The "Voluntary Membership Fee - FireMed" shall be a
membership offered to Huntington Beach residents and businesses on a
voluntary basis for the purpose of allowing its members to prepay,
at a fixed price, the uninsured portion of emergency ambulance and
emergency medical charges for services provided by the Huntington
Beach Fire Department .
(a) Payment of the voluntary fee by households shall
entitle membership to permanent residents of that household, related
or not. Fees paid by businesses entitle membership to employees
only. Guests, customers, patrons, visitors or others using the
facilities of such households and businesses shall be charged
directly for paramedic and ambulance services .
8.68.080 Implementation Implementation of user fees for
paramedic services shall begin July 1, 1990 . The Fire Chief shall
be authorized to administer the FireMed Program beginning thirty
(30) days after adoption of this ordinance.
-3-
3026
8.68.090 Duty to Respond Under no circumstances will the
delivery and application of available emergency medical services and
ambulance transportation be delayed or refused based upon whether or
not a person is a FireMed member or can demonstrate an ability to
pay•
8.68.100 Exemptions Determination for an exemption or reduction
of "Fee for Services" or the "Voluntary Membership Fee" by persons
claiming a hardship shall be based on guidelines established by
resolution of the City Council .
8.68.110 Funding Revenues derived from the FireMed Program shall —,
be used to improve and maintain the emergency medical services
provided by the Huntington Beach Fire Department.
8. 68.120 Program Termination The FireMed Program may be
cancelled by a majority vote of the Huntington Beach City Council .
If the Council chooses to terminate the program prior to the new
program year, the City may, at its option, refund membership fees
back to FireMed members on a prorated basis . The City shall be
obligated to provide thirty (30) days written notice to FireMed
members prior to program termination.
SECTION 2 . This ordinance shall take effect thirty (30) days
after its adoption. The City Clerk shall cause each ordinance to be
posted in three places designated by the City Council within the
City and to be published by title with a brief summary at least once
within fifteen days after its adoption in a daily, semi-weekly or
weekly newspaper, published in the County or the City and circulated
in the City, which is selected by the City Council for that purpose.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of
Huntington Beach at a regular meeting thereof held on the 22nd day
of January 1990 .
Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
City Clerk City Attorne
-4-
3026
REVIEWED AND APPROVED: INITIATED AND APPROVED:
City Administrator Fir ief
-5-
3026
Ord, No. 3026
S A..1'E OF CA!TFORNIA )
C UI TI' 0` "RANGE1 Ss:
rT ry Oc HU"NT1n1GT0ns BE!'CH, )
�„
I, COMME BROCKVJ'AY, the duly elected, goal i fi ed C i ty
Clr,rir f the Nty of Huntingtor; Reach and ex-offirio Clerk of the
City 'Council of the said City, do hereby certify that the whole number
of of the City CGunci i of the City of Hunt[ngi,Gn Beac'ri is Seven;
that the foregoing ordinance was read to said City Council at a regular
meeting t►lerof held on the 4th day of December _
:i89 , and was tigu�r read tov Said ,City ,vui,c a L a rLyli l ur adjourned
ni,,, . i t hl� h� one ;Lll 22ndday 90u t'll held lrl v , ur.iu
was passed and adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of
ail the members of said City Council .
APES: Councilmembers:
MacAllister, Winchell, Green, Erskine
NC)ES- EntinrviImerP.bers:
Mays,_ Bannister Silva _�
ABSENT: CounciImembers:
None
1, Connie Broc,:way City of
Beach and t to City
do hereby cer ,> of this -
otoRnance ha; been ub i, :_ City Clerk and ex-offi ei t erk
�' i!y Pi,oton Gf the City Council of the City
of Huntington Beach, California
tinc City ct,
14 4 �•4' vyty.
City Clerk
Deputy City Clerk