Mt. Aetna Volunteer Fire Department

Subscription Plan and Billing Policy

Overview

The business of operating a fire department – even a volunteer department like Mt. Aetna – is an expensive undertaking. The services provided by our dedicated volunteers help keep our personnel expenses to a bare minimum. Unfortunately, equipment, apparatus, supplies and facilities cost more money each year, and our funding resources are not keeping pace. Therefore, the Mt. Aetna Volunteer Fire Department is compelled to institute a subscription plan and billing policy.

In exchange for donating a minimum annual subscription fee, residents and businesses in our district will be exempted from direct billing for our services, regardless of whether or not their insurance company pays the claim. Non-subscribers will be billed directly for services unless their insurance carrier pays. Charges will be determined according to a rate grid (see below) established for the various services the fire department provides. This is similar to the billing practices employed by several other fire departments and all of the ambulance companies in Washington County.

A look at funding and expenses

Mt. Aetna currently receives funding from these sources:

-       Donations received directly from the community we serve – through mail requests, our annual family photo fund drive, and a variety of other fundraising activities conducted by our members. While we appreciate the generous donations from some members of our community, only a small percentage of residents actually donate to the department each year. And, from 2003 through 2006 donations from the community have covered an average of only 14% of our annual budgeted expenses.

-       The Washington County government provides some funding: an annual payment that helps cover our utilities, insurance and other expenses; and a percentage of gaming receipts that we share with all the other fire/rescue companies in the county. Gaming revenue is not guaranteed and may be subject to change by the state legislature. Also, unlike a number of other counties in Maryland, there is no fire tax in Washington County, so tax-supported funding from the county is limited.

-       Government grants. We have been fortunate to receive several federal grants in recent years. These funds help cover the ever-increasing costs to purchase apparatus and equipment. But again, we cannot rely on grants to fund our on-going expenses. In addition, most grants require that our department contribute a percentage (usually 10%) of the total project cost. There is no guarantee that we will continue to receive grant money or even that the grant funds will be available in the future. 

So, you can see that our funding resources are tenuous. Unfortunately, our operating expenses are very real and continue to grow. Mt. Aetna Volunteer Fire Department is proud to have kept expenses relatively low over the years. But it is an annual challenge to keep costs under control.

Here are several examples of what it costs Mt. Aetna VFD to protect the community:

-       In 2006, the department began a necessary replacement program for our aging fire engine fleet. The first of two new engines was delivered in early 2006 at a cost of approximately $375,000. A second engine has been recently delivered at a cost of about $325,000.

-       The department’s brush fire truck is 30 years old and desperately needs to be replaced. The department also needs to replace two cars over 15 years old that are used as medical response and command vehicles.

-       The average cost to outfit a firefighter with a complete set of personal protective equipment, including self-contained breathing apparatus, is about $5,000.

-       We have to replace hose, nozzles and other equipment as it wears out or is damaged. Nozzles cost between $500 and $1,500. One 100-foot section of large diameter hose can run between $600 and $700. Rescue tools used to extricate victims from motor vehicle collisions cost many thousands of dollars.

-       We are responsible for the repairs and maintenance of our fire station. As the facility ages, those costs increase dramatically. For example, we are now planning for a roof replacement.

-       Because so many volunteers work outside the district, we employ one driver/operator to be at the fire station during the day every Monday through Friday. As our call volume increases and fewer volunteers are available during weekdays, we anticipate the need to pay for more daytime personnel in the coming years.

We do not spend money on lavish facilities or goodies for our members. Stop by the fire station and you’ll see that it’s a fairly “bare bones” operation. Our members purchase their own alert pagers, pay for their own fuel to respond to calls, and we don’t throw big annual galas. Our facilities are old and basic. The money we raise goes toward the expenses necessary to operate a fire department.

The subscription plan

Our subscription plan offers a great way to support the efforts of your community volunteer fire department AND save money when you need our services. Here’s how it works. Once a year we will mail a request for donations to every address in our district. If you make the minimum requested donation (see grid below), we will not bill you directly for fire/rescue services provided by Mt. Aetna VFD for one year from the receipt of your donation. It’s that simple. We will keep a record of your subscription in our offices. (Walk-in subscription donations are also accepted!)

                             Mt. Aetna VFD Annual Subscription Rates

An important note!! The Mt. Aetna Volunteer Fire Department will respond to ALL calls for service regardless of your status as a subscriber. Whether or not you contribute to the department has no bearing or influence on us as responders. If you need help, we will respond. Our job is to handle emergency situations and worry about any service fees later. Never hesitate to call for help – we will always respond. Frankly, our emergency workers will never know if you are a subscriber or not. That information is kept in our administrative office and is handled separately – well after the incident.

Billing rates

The call results in a loss that will be covered by a homeowner’s, commercial or vehicle insurance policy:

-       If the homeowner, vehicle owner or business owner is a current Mt. Aetna VFD subscriber, a bill will be sent to the owner’s insurance company only. If the claim is denied, the owner will not be billed.

-       If the homeowner, vehicle owner or business owner is not a subscriber, our billing company will make a claim to the owner’s insurance company. If the claim is denied, the billing company will send the owner a bill directly.

The call does NOT result in a loss that could be assessed to a homeowner’s, commercial or vehicle insurance policy:

-       If the homeowner, vehicle owner or business owner is a current Mt. Aetna VFD subscriber, no bill will be sent.

-       If the homeowner, vehicle owner or business owner is not a subscriber, our billing company may send the owner a bill directly.

Billing Rate Schedule (all charges are ‘per incident’)