By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

Beginning June 1, residents and businesses of St. Cloud will notice a $1 increase on their utility bill for emergency medical services fees after the City Council in March approved a rate hike from $2 to $3.

Notices of the fee increase were sent out to all customers in their May utility bills, said city spokeswoman Sandra Ramirez.

The $1 increase will raise $528,000 for the city’s EMS this year and $544,000 for 2013. Since 2009, under the $2 fee per household and business, the city raised between $330,000 to $355,000 for the service.  

The fee increase was suggested by St. Cloud Fire Rescue Chief Bill Johnston to offset increased operating costs associated with keeping emergency medical services available to residents and local businesses.

“It’s just to keep the EMS service available,” Johnston said. “This fee does not fully support the cost of operating the emergency medical service in St. Cloud. To further fund the service, we charge for transports.”

Those fees, established in 2009, remain unchanged at $475 for basic life support and advanced life support (ALS1) transport and $675 for advanced life support (ALS2) transport.

The fees do not increase if a patient must be transported to a facility outside St. Cloud city limits. However, customers are charged $9 per mile, per person, for transport.

The fees, including the new $1 rate change, pay for vehicles, equipment, training and the 16 fire personnel crossed-trained in fire and EMS response. An operations chief is also in charge of each shift.

The city’s three Fire Rescue stations are equipped with one three-man engine and one two-man advanced life support transport unit, better known as an ambulance, Johnston said.

The city of Kissimmee increased its ambulance transport fees in April to $600 for both residents and visitors. Previously, it was $350 for residents and $450 for non-residents.

The city is charging the flat fee because Osceola County does not charge Kissimmee residents extra when it responds to medical calls in the municipality, city officials said.

Kissimmee officials also increased the fee for ambulance transport per mile from $6.50 to $10.

Additionally, advanced life support, such as giving cardiac defibrillation and fluids intravenously, was increased to $650. Both advanced life support and a trip to the hospital, which currently is $425 for residents and $525 for non-residents, increased to $700.