As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
COSTS
All costs incurred by the Borough or Department, including
but not limited to the following: actual labor costs of personnel,
including workers' compensation benefits, fringe benefits and
administrative overhead; cost of equipment operation; cost of materials;
and the cost of any outside contract for labor and materials.
DEPARTMENT
The Borough of Hampton Volunteer Fire Department.
MATERIALS
All materials, including but not limited to firefighting
foam, chemical extinguishing agents, absorbent material, sand recovery
drums, and specialized protective equipment such as acid suits, acid
gloves, goggles and protective clothing.
PERSON
Any public or private corporation, company, association,
society, firm, partnership, joint stock company, individual, or other
entity.
The governing body of the Borough of Hampton authorizes the
Department to recover the costs of firefighting materials used and
expended; the costs of the use of the fire trucks, fire engines, rescue
equipment, and tankers; the costs of personnel hours and hazardous
situation abatement materials involved in fighting fires and/or providing
emergency services.
The Department is hereby authorized to bill and collect costs
due to it under this chapter through a third-party billing agent,
provided that any such agreement with any professional agency engaged
in the business of emergency response billing shall be subject to
the approval of the Borough Council.
Said costs and fees as outlined above shall be recovered directly
by the Department, or through a third-party professional agency engaged
in the business of emergency response billing under a contract with
the Department, by billing to the responsible party.
In addition to the aforementioned fees and costs, the Department
is hereby authorized to collect reasonable interest and administration
fees for the collection of the fees and costs due and owing from the
insurance companies or responsible parties for the services rendered
and/or materials provided.
The Department shall provide a monthly report to the Borough
Council detailing all billing and receipts under this chapter.
Any person or entity responsible for payment to the Department
hereunder shall reimburse the Department, or provide proof that they
have submitted a claim to their insurance carrier for payment within
45 days after receipt of a statement from the Department outlining
said costs and expenses. These provisions shall be subject to the
following:
A. Persons receiving services from the Department shall cooperate with
the Department or other billing personnel hired by the Department
to secure full payment for services rendered from any necessary insurance
carrier.
B. Due to anticipated time requirements for the preparation and processing
of insurance claims, parties that have provided proof of a claim to
their insurance carrier shall not be charged interest or be subject
to penalties hereunder.
C. Responsible parties under this chapter shall ensure that the Department
is authorized to receive any payments from an insurance carrier as
required by this chapter.
D. The Department reserves the right to determine that a bill is uncollectable
by reason of unavailability of insurance coverage and be written off.