Hollister looking to charge fees for certain emergency calls

Hollister’s fire department is looking at the idea of charging fees for responding to certain types of calls. On Monday, City County voted in favor of a new ordinance that would charge you if the fire department has to respond to some sort of emergency that you caused

“I think that actually might be a great idea and it wouldn’t affect me because I don’t make those negligent calls,” Hollister resident Lisa Quinonez said.

Quinonez’s thought process is exactly what this proposed law is all about said City Manager Bill Avera.

“Your traffic accidents, your fires, things that there is negligence involved. The city will then be allowed to recover some of the costs associated,” Avera said.

If the fire department responds to a car accident and there is a leak, the person who is blamed for the accident gets a hazardous materials assessment bill for $435. If a helicopter is involved in a response for something you caused, you could pay more than $2,000.

Interim Fire Chief Bill Garringer said insurance companies will ultimately decide who pays the fees. He said it costs up to $3,000 to outfit one firefighter and these funds would help alleviate that burden. Garringer said the amount of calls firefighters respond to continues to increase every year

“In our city we’re looking at using it to buy new equipment, purchase equipment, update equipment that we have,” Interim Fire Chief Bill Garringer said.

Quinonez hopes it will be a reminder to people to be more responsible or they may have to pay the price for their carelessness.

“It’s important to make the right decision for when you need them,” Quinonez said.

But Garringer stresses that first responders will always be ready for anyone that needs them in an emergency. City leaders will have hold a final vote in May and the law could go into effect 30 days afterward.