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Volunteer fire company raises proposal to invoice insurers for out‑of‑borough emergency responses; borough and company to meet
Summary
Franklin Park's volunteer fire company outlined a plan under review to begin invoicing insurers for emergency responses by non‑residents or non‑donors, and sought council guidance on legal risks, equity and operational data collection required to bill effectively.
Franklin Park's volunteer fire company presented a proposal and sought council guidance on whether and how to invoice insurance carriers and nonresidents for emergency responses. Members asked council for legal and policy advice and asked to schedule a director-level meeting to develop a formal approach.
The fire company said fundraising revenue has not kept pace with call volume and that roughly 30% of calls come from interstate or nonresident incidents. The company reported it researched third-party billing firms and municipal models (including a neighboring ambulance authority model) and was advised that billing selectively without an enabling borough ordinance could raise equal‑protection concerns.
Company leaders asked whether resident donations could be handled as prepayments or offsets (for example, a $50 annual donation that reduces an eventual invoice) and whether a borough ordinance should explicitly authorize a billing program and define subscriber/non‑subscriber treatment. They also raised operational concerns: accurate invoicing requires capturing time/materials per vehicle and per response, which imposes additional administrative work and may require third‑party support.
Several councilmembers and staff advised caution: invoicing programs can be administratively intensive, may yield modest net revenue after insurer negotiations and third‑party fees, and could affect community goodwill and fundraising. Council and the fire company agreed to schedule a special meeting of fire company directors and borough representatives to review sample ordinances, billing options, the implications for residents versus nonresidents, and operational collection procedures.
Ending
The borough and fire company will convene a special directors meeting in the coming weeks; the fire company will test a few recent calls offline to model potential invoice amounts and administrative burden before seeking ordinance language or third‑party billing services.
