Countywide : Fire Department Fee Setup Gains Ground

The Board of Supervisors cleared the way Tuesday for the Orange County Fire Department to begin charging fees next year for paramedic and other services.

The fee program, part of a major restructuring of the Fire Department, has been held up for several weeks because of concerns expressed to supervisors by senior citizens.

Residents in Leisure World in Laguna Hills, in particular, were upset about the prospect of having to pay a yearly subscription rate for paramedic service of between $30 and $45--or face $150 to $250 charges each time paramedics were dispatched to their homes.

But a compromise was worked out with the assistance of Supervisor Thomas F. Riley, whose district includes Leisure World. Under the plan adopted Tuesday, the Fire Department was instructed to develop a new fee schedule that takes into consideration discounts for senior citizens, the ability to pay and communitywide subscription incentives.

The proposed fees must be approved by the board and by the city councils of the Fire Department’s contract cities before they are implemented next year.

The Fire Department provides services to Cypress, Dana Point, Irvine, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Placentia, San Juan Capistrano, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park and Yorba Linda.