[1]
Editor's Note: Original Part 3, Smoke Detectors Required in Rental Properties, adopted 4-13-1994B, was repealed 7-13-2005.
[Ord. No. 2019-08, 7/24/2019]
This Part shall be called the "Emergency Services Costs Recovery Ordinance."
[Ord. No. 2019-08, 7/24/2019]
The Wesleyville Borough Council recognizes that volunteer fire companies incur costs, consume materials, expend resources, and otherwise use up materials, goods, and products that must be replaced at substantial cost to the fire companies in the course of handling, responding to, and rendering services during emergencies that occur within the Borough and even beyond the boundaries of the Borough when providing mutual aid to adjacent communities. Those costs, when fair and reasonable, need to be recovered in order for the volunteer fire companies to remain viable. The fire companies need the legal authority of an ordinance approving the recovery of those costs.
[Ord. No. 2019-08, 7/24/2019]
For purposes of this Part, the following words shall have the following meanings:
BOROUGH
Refers to Wesleyville Borough.
EMERGENCY
An event triggering a response from a volunteer fire company(ies) other than an ambulance response. Emergencies could include, but are not limited to, events requiring firefighting, extractions, or like services. Fire service calls, false alarms, nuisance alarms, hazardous material incidents, environmental incidents, and safety and rescue incidents coordinated via the Emergency Management Coordinator and/or 911, and those that use hazardous material abatement equipment and materials, are also eligible for reimbursement.
EMERGENCY SERVICE
Any service provided by the volunteer fire company(ies) other than an ambulance response.
FIRE COMPANIES/FIRE DEPARTMENTS
The volunteer fire company serving the needs of the citizens of Wesleyville Borough include Wesleyville Hose Company. When used in this Part, the phrase "fire company" shall also include any fire company chartered other than in Wesleyville Borough, which provides mutual aid for an emergency within the Borough.
REASONABLE AND FAIR CHARGE
An amount charged by other emergency responders similarly situated as the one volunteer fire company serving the citizens of Wesleyville Borough, but not to include personnel costs given the voluntary nature of the participation in volunteer fire companies. Said charges would also have to be itemized when the bill is presented for payment.
[Ord. No. 2019-08, 7/24/2019]
Any volunteer fire company offering emergency services shall be entitled to recover the fair and reasonable costs of responding. Some of these costs can be standardized and are set forth below.
[Ord. No. 2019-08, 7/24/2019]
1. 
False and/or nuisance alarms are deemed to be a waste of time, manpower, and equipment and create the potential for serious injury to fire company personnel and other responding emergency personnel. "False alarm" means the activation of any alarm system which results in a response by the fire company and which is caused by the negligence or intentional misuse of the alarm system by the owner, its employees, agents or any other activation of an alarm system not caused by heat, smoke or fire, exclusive of a nuisance alarm. "Nuisance alarm" means the activation of any alarm system which results in a response by the fire company, caused by mechanical failure, malfunction, improper installation, lack of proper maintenance or any other response for which the fire company is unable to determine the apparent cause of the alarm activation. Alarm activations caused by earthquakes, severe weather, or power outages are not considered false or nuisance alarms.
2. 
No fee shall be assessed for the first three false alarms at the same premises responded to by the fire company during any 12 consecutive months. Thereafter, the owner shall pay the following fees for false alarms or nuisance alarms responded to by the fire company at the same premises during any 12 consecutive months:
Number of False Alarm/Nuisance Alarms
Service Fee
First to Third
$0
Fourth
$100
Fifth
$200
Sixth and above
Doubles each time
[Ord. No. 2019-08, 7/24/2019]
1. 
Wesleyville Borough recognizes the need to bill for volunteer fire, rescue and hazmat services conducted within the Borough to aid in the provision of emergency services.
2. 
No person, firm or corporation requiring emergency services shall be denied services due to lack of insurance or ability to pay.
3. 
Any applicable charges for volunteer emergency services rendered shall be billed directly to the user of such services or the user's insurance company.
4. 
The one authorized and enfranchised volunteer fire company operating in Wesleyville Borough may, either directly or through any third-party billing agency with which it has contracted for billing and/or collections for volunteer fire, rescue and hazmat services, make arrangements with users of such services and/or their financially responsible party for installment payment of bills.
[Ord. No. 2019-08, 7/24/2019]
1. 
Any of the fire departments authorized and enfranchised to operate in Wesleyville Borough are hereby authorized to enter into a contract with a third-party billing agency and/or collection agency for performance of emergency, rescue and hazmat services billing and/or collection services.
2. 
The Borough and/or any recognized fire department may, in its discretion, bill additionally for material and vehicle costs in the case of major, extraordinary or unique incidents, including, but not limited to, hazardous materials spills, fire emergency, and rescue incidents that destroy or severely damage emergency services equipment.
3. 
User fees.
A. 
Volunteer fire and rescue services shall initiate user fees for the delivery of emergency services, supplies and equipment to the scene of any hazardous material incident, environmental incident or safety and rescue incident or operation, including vehicular accidents and fires that occur on the roadways of the Borough. The rate of the user fee shall be that which is usual, customary and reasonable in accordance with standard practice and industry standards.
B. 
Every person and/or utility that is provided with volunteer emergency, rescue and hazmat services shall be billed a user fee in accordance with this Part.
C. 
The user fee for volunteer emergency services rendered shall be billed directly to the user of such service's insurance company. If the insurance company is not known, the user of services shall be billed directly, with instructions to forward the bill to his/her insurance provider.
D. 
Any and all amounts collected as the result of this Part shall be used for the replacement and maintenance of emergency services materials and equipment.
E. 
The Borough reserves the right to implement rules and/or regulations and/or revoke or amend existing rules and/or regulations as may be deemed necessary for the billing and/or collection of user fees pursuant to this Part.
4. 
Uncollectible Amounts.
[Ord. No. 2019-08, 7/24/2019]
A. 
The user fee is anticipated to be paid by the user's insurance company. In the instance where the Borough receives official notification from the insurance company that it will not honor the invoice, the Borough and/or authorized fire departments are authorized to invoice the responsible party directly and take any legal action necessary to collect the fee(s), including negotiating a settlement.
B. 
The Borough and/or authorized fire departments may, at its discretion, write off the uncollected fee amounts as a bad debt, without the prejudice to the responsible party.
C. 
Should the Borough and/or any authorized fire department determine that an insurance carrier has remitted the fee to the responsible party involved and that the party has failed to remit the fee, the Borough and/or authorized fire department are authorized to pursue all legal means and appropriate action in order to collect the account.
[Ord. No. 2019-08, 7/24/2019]
Nothing in this Part shall be construed to affect any suit or proceeding pending in any court, or any rights acquired, or liability incurred, or any cause of action acquired or existing, under any act or ordinance hereby; nor shall any just or legal right or remedy of any character be lost, impaired or affected by this Part.
[Ord. No. 2019-08, 7/24/2019]
If any sentence, clause, section, or part of this ordinance is for any reason found to be unconstitutional, illegal, or invalid, such unconstitutionality, illegality or invalidity shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions, sentences, clauses, sections or parts of this ordinance. It is hereby declared as the intent of the Wesleyville Borough Council that this Part would have been adopted had such unconstitutional, illegal or invalid sentence, clause, section or part thereof not been included herein.