Fire chief: city ambulances now billing, prevention work expanding as arson and burned properties remain concerns

Flint — The Flint Fire Department told City Council members during a budget hearing that the department—s ambulance program has generated roughly $1 million in billings and that prevention and capital needs are priorities as crews handle arson and burned-out properties across the city.

Fire Chief Wiggins (identified in the presentation) said the department had billed more than $1 million for emergency medical runs and collected about $500,000 to date. He said the department is operating three ambulances: one staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with two ambulances deployed 24/7 on Thursday through Sunday to match anticipated call volumes.

Why it matters: Expanded municipal ambulance operations create a new revenue stream for the city, influence response coverage and factor into staffing, training and capital decisions for fire stations.

Key details - Ambulance operations and revenue: Chief Wiggins said ambulances accounted for more than 2,000 runs since October; billers reported roughly $1 million billed and about $500,000 collected so far. Department staff said municipal ambulances currently handle roughly 25% of city EMS calls; that share should grow as staff and units are added. - Staffing and recruitment incentives: The department reported about 93 sworn firefighters on the roster, including roughly a dozen trainees. The department offers recruitment incentives tied to training: an approximately $5,000 sign-on or stipend for recruits who complete training and about $7,500 for hires who already hold credentials; recruits who accept incentive payments sign agreements to remain with the department for a stated period and must repay funds if they leave early. - Response coverage and capacity: Chief Wiggins said one ambulance is staffed round-the-clock and additional ambulances are placed on busy days; response-time estimates ranged from about 3 to 8 minutes depending on call type and location. - Billing complexities and Medicaid/Medicare rules: Council members and staff discussed reimbursement limits under Medicare and Medicaid and the role of contracted billers. The department said some calls cannot be billed (for example, refusals or no-patient-found incidents) and that allowable reimbursement varies by payer. Council members asked for breakdowns of billed versus billed-and-collected figures. - Arson and burned properties: Council members pressed the chief about frequent fires, arson risk and the safety hazards posed by burned-out basements and ruins. The chief said arson prosecutions are difficult when fires occur at vacant properties overnight, so the department is emphasizing prevention, rewards for tips and coordination with police investigators. He also asked for coordinated action from the land bank and building inspectors to board or fence burned lots to prevent public exposure to hazards. - Capital and prevention priorities: The department reported planned capital projects including replacement of station kitchens and upgrades to alerting systems (station alert upgrades estimated at about $100,000 per station). The chief said fire prevention operations are being strengthened with planned additions to the prevention bureau and that crews have distributed thousands of smoke detectors and carbon-monoxide alarms during outreach.

What council members requested Council members asked for reconciling detail on ambulance billing and collections, clearer itemization of capital requests (including alerting-system upgrades and kitchen replacements), and a staffing timeline for fire-prevention personnel.

Department outlook Chief Wiggins said the department expects staffing to continue rising from the recent hires and that the ambulance program is performing better than initially projected; he also said grant-seeking and new state reimbursement rules could boost future collections.

Ending Council members said they would review written budget documents and follow up with the department on billing detail, capital timing and prevention staffing as they finalize FY26 budget deliberations.