The Redding Fire Department has begun charging a $489 fee for lift assists, non-emergency calls for when someone has fallen but doesn't need to go to the hospital.
Fire officials said the department receives about 1,200 such calls each year. Sometimes people even call when they need help getting to the restroom, Deputy Chief Jay Sumerlin said.
“Calls are becoming so frequent that when we have a true emergency — let's say a shooting, a stabbing or let's say a baby not breathing — I may not have a fire engine in place anymore,” he said.
The Redding City Council approved the fee in 2023 to offset costs and dissuade unnecessary calls. Sumerlin said the fire department began gradually rolling out the policy this year. So far, Sumerlin said, about 500 people have received bills.
He hopes it starts a conversation in the community.
“What do you want your fire department to do?” Sumerlin said. “And it’s not a simple, ‘Oh yeah, go pick up everybody.’ I mean, I can go mow your lawn for you if you want, but you’re going to have to pay for it.”
Low-income waivers are available, he said.
“I've been processing waivers left and right,” he said.
There’s currently no process to bill insurance providers, but he encourages residents who receive a bill to check with their carriers.
So far, Sumerlin said he’s unaware of anyone paying the fee.
“I think people are just kind of still in shock that they're seeing a bill from the city for this,” he said.
Many lift assist calls come from medical alert devices, Sumerlin said, often sold to people as a subscription service.
“What they don't tell you is that we're subsidizing their company,” he said.
“We are here to serve,” said Redding Fire Department Chief Jerrod Vanlandingham in a statement. “That’s what community taxes pay for, but, in these cases, taxes are being stretched to cover situations that could be managed by the staff from assisted living facilities and retirement homes, or by family and friends.”
Vanlandingham said the department sometimes reaches out to health care providers when a resident makes frequent calls.
The fee may eventually expand to all medical service calls, but Sumerlin said that would likely require further discussion with the city council and the public.
It’s unclear how many cities in California charge similar fees. But Sumerlin said it is a trend as departments are increasingly expected to expand services beyond firefighting.
“Nobody changed the way we were funded as an organization,” he said. “We just took on another role without forward thinking.”
