Emergency response fee

Short description: Fee for emergency services in the United States

In the United States , an emergency response fee, also known as fire department charge, fire department service charge, accident response fee,[1][2] accident fee,[3] Traffic Infraction Accident Fee,[4] ambulance fee,[5] etc., and pejoratively as a crash tax[6] is a fee for emergency services such as firefighting, emergency medical services, environmental response, etc., performed by a local fire department, EMTs, police department, etc., at the scene of a structure fire, wildfire, traffic collision, or other emergency, billed afterward to the surviving property owner or owner(s), operator(s) of the vehicle(s) involved, and/or their insurance companies.

Many states and localities have approved these fees. Many states and localities prohibit these fees.[7]

Some fire departments charge small and large fees for firefighting.[8] Some bill the survivors, some bill the insurance companies of the survivors.[9]

Some fire departments charge an advance fire subscription fee for fire protection. They often do not fight fires that are not covered, refusing offers of back payment.[10][11]

The fees are controversial, with multiple arguments for and against.[12]

## References

1. ↑ "Accident Response Fees". http://www.accidentresponsefees.com/.
2. ↑ "The Blade | Toledo's breaking news, sports, and entertainment watchdog" (in en). https://www.toledoblade.com/.
3. ↑ Cusenza, Michael. "Accident fee is not a ‘crash tax’ — FDNY" (in en). https://www.qchron.com/news/queenswide/accident-fee-is-not-a-crash-tax-fdny/article_e6986d38-8c54-5b89-abcf-2704ecbad991.html.
4. ↑ "Washington State Courts - JIS-Link". https://www.courts.wa.gov/jislink/index.cfm?fa=jislink.codeview&dir=clj_manual&file=costfee.
5. ↑ DiGangi, Christine. "This man's 2-mile ambulance ride cost $2,700. Is that normal?" (in en-US). https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2017/05/20/ambulance-health-care-services-costs/334338001/.
6. ↑ Barnes, Ed (2015-03-25). "Accident Victims Increasingly Being Hit Again -- With 'Crash Taxes'" (in en-US). https://www.foxnews.com/us/accident-victims-increasingly-being-hit-again-with-crash-taxes.
7. ↑ "StackPath". https://www.vehicleservicepros.com/abrn/legislation/pennsylvania-prohibits-accident-response-fees.
8. ↑ "Firefighters Charge Family Nearly $20,000 After Home Burns Down" (in en). 2013-11-08. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/justin-purcell-fire_n_4242734.
9. ↑ NETTER, SARAH. "Fire Departments Charge for Service, Asking Accident Victims to Pay Up" (in en). https://abcnews.go.com/Business/fire-department-bills-basic-services-horrify-residents-insurance/story?id=9736696.
10. ↑ "No pay, no spray: Firefighters let home burn" (in en). https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39516346.
11. ↑ Fire Subscription Services: A Legal and Moral Conundrum - Fire Engineering
12. ↑ Jensen, Christopher (2010-09-03). "A Crash. A Call for Help. Then, a Bill." (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/automobiles/05CRASHTAX.html.

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