Public Comment Needed - Emergency Medical Care

Currently, Benton County Fire Protection District No.4 (BCFD4) provides first response to emergency medical calls using its current fire engines, but does not provide ambulance transport to the hospital.  This support is considered Basic Life Support.  BCFD4 does not charge for this service.

Advanced Life Support and ambulance transport is furnished by the City of Richland Fire Department and by Benton County Fire District No. 2, out of Benton City.  The average cost to a patient for ambulance transport to the hospital is about twelve hundred dollars.  

An ambulance located in West Richland would provide faster ambulance response.  Approximately 7 minutes quicker on average, if an ambulance was in West Richland, and no direct cost to tax payer of the District if an EMS levy was brought before the voters and was successful.
BCFD4 would like to know your response to the following questions based on the above information.
1. Would you like an ambulance to be located in BCFD4 / West Richland's area?

Yes   No

Comments:

2. Would you support an EMS levy / bond to fund an ambulance in BCFD4 / West Richland's area?

Yes   No

Comments:

3. Would you support a fifty cent ($0.50) per thousand dollar property valuation tax to help fund ambulance service operation in BCFD4 / West Richland's area?  If this got a quicker response and no direct cost to tax payer of the District.

Yes  No

Comments:

4. Would you support a replacement bond for the recently retired capital improvement bond to fund capital expense of housing the fire district based ambulance?

Yes  No

Comments:

Please provide your e-mail address and/or phone number.
Name:    E-mail:    Phone:

If you would like to discuss this issue in more detail, please select "yes".  Yes  No