A First Responder Fee is charged to insurance companies of patients who are treated or evaluated by Fairfield Firefighters for medical service.

You have received this bill because the Fairfield Fire Department responded to a 9-1-1 call from you or someone representing you and a medical assessment was performed.

No, the bill has also been sent directly to your insurance company. The copy you have received in the mail is for information only.

No, the City will utilize a compassionate billing concept and accept any payment by an insurance company as the full payment for the First Responder Fee obligation.

There is no out-of-pocket expense for patients receiving services from the Fire Department, even if the patient is uninsured.

The fee per call is based on cost recovery for providing an Advance Life Support (ALS) engine company to all calls for service as well as associated fees for equipment and supplies. This amount was calculated based on a comprehensive fee study conducted by NBS Government Finance consulting group.

The principle rationale for a First Responder Fee is that local government fire department services have expanded well beyond the traditional fire suppression generally supported by property taxes. The change in balance from fire suppression to medical services has shifted the rationale for financing fire department operations from primarily property-related taxes to a combination of property taxes and user fees.