- Author
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Title
- Guide to Funding Alternatives for Fire and Emergency Medical Services Departments.
- Coporate
- Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, DC
- Report
- FA-141, December 1993, 190 p.
- Contract
- EMW-92-R-3899
- Keywords
- medical services | fire departments | budgets | emergencies
- Identifiers
- local sources for fire and EMS funding; state and federal government sources for fire and EMS; private sources for funding
- Abstract
- Simulated by local budget pressures, fire and emergency medical service departments in the United States are using a wide array of fundraising approaches beyond traditional taxes. These funding alternatives range from small 'fees for special services' to major new sources of funds such as 'benefit assessments,' which pay for as much as 40 percent of the budget for some fire departments. The alternatives include 'impact development fees', in which private developers pay for virtually all new fire stations and their associated apparatus and equipment, and subscription charges, in which households pay a flat rate and then are absolved from any further payments associated with emergency medical services beyond those covered by their medical insurance.