Fire Department bills me for nothing

Slono

Slono

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Hey all, in July I hit a deer going southbound on the 410 before the Derry exit early in the morning. I ended up in the middle of the road while my bike ended up in the ditch. A passerby saw me crawling towards the shoulder and called 911. Minutes later, a tow truck, an OPP cruiser, ambulance and 2 fire trucks arrived on scene. I was quickly checked by the paramedics and released on the spot with only sprained ankles, knees and wrists from rolling after being thrown from my bike. A firefighter had asked me for my information which I had ended up given him, as I also did with the OPP officer.

I don't have collision coverage, and I didn't report anything.

A month later a bill shows up totalling $922 for the service of 2 fire trucks (1 pumper, 1 rescue) for 1 hour each.

They didn't even help me with anything, why are they charging me? Can I get my insurance to argue with the ministry of transportation? This really isn't justified. It doesn't help that I'm scraping by each month. How can I afford to pay this massive bill, for "help" I did not enlist?
 
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Oh boy. Here we go again ..

If your not a resident of the place a "crash" happens, you are charged by the local fire department.

This practice has been underway for a few years now. If you made a claim to your insurance co, they would take care of the bills.
If not, your on the hook for them.
 
My insurance company was contacted by another party making a claim... it sure as hell wasn't the deer I hit, so I suspect it was the fire department. They were not told who made the claim. Since this is the case, can I ask my insurance company to cover it?
 
Slono said:
My insurance company was contacted by another party making a claim... it sure as hell wasn't the deer I hit, so I suspect it was the fire department. They were not told who made the claim. Since this is the case, can I ask my insurance company to cover it?
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If someone made a claim against your insurance, it certainly wasnt the FD.

They already would of received all your info at the scene, and the rest from the police report later on.
You can ask your insurance co to cover it, highly unlikely but worth a shot.
 
They sent me a bill too :lol: I threw it in the garbage

I believe my insurance company might've taken care of it (I assume they may have sent it to them too, afterwards?), but I never did look into it beyond that.

In any event, send that bill to your insurer and get them to pony up for it! That's what you're paying them for.
 
I would have to say this is outrageous and there should be provision to refuse payment where no services are rendered.
You did not make the 911 call.
I suspect a small claims court would toss it.
We are getting way too complacent about stuff like this.

pirates.gif


If I trip and bang my knee and some idjit calls 911 am I on the hook????
 
In general, the firemen are the first to respond to an emergency and give first aid. Later on, the medics arrive. Better to have them on the scene ready to assist than to wish that someone was there to save your life.
 
Really you got billed for them just showing up? I had them show up as well when I crashed..this was over 2 months ago in June but I haven't received any bill yet *fingers crossed* ...am I supposed to because I'm not a resident of the place where it happened? And I didn't make any claims on insurance either.
 
DollyMix said:
Really you got billed for them just showing up? I had them show up as well when I crashed..this was over 2 months ago in June but I haven't received any bill yet *fingers crossed* ...am I supposed to because I'm not a resident of the place where it happened? And I didn't make any claims on insurance either.
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Went to your insurance company. Most people don't realize that FD's bill for this, because their ins. takes care of it.
 
Doesn't the government pay them...?

I thought firefighters, and their equipment, were either payed by the government or volunteers?
 
infernobuster said:
... and so it begins!
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Ehh whatever, don't get your panties in a bunch. Its not ALWAYS reasonable to be billed for something you didn't ask for. I understand getting billed when an actual service is provided.. but if someone called 911 for you when you didn't want/need the help, it's ********* to get an invoice in the mail.
 
Sabex said:
Doesn't the government pay them...?

I thought firefighters, and their equipment, were either payed by the government or volunteers?
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Its a municipal thing. So basically if you're an out-of-towner and you use their service, you need to pay for it.
 
I was told that the charge was to some degree a judgement call. However you went off your bike and were slightly injured. Would you prefer that no one calls emergency services until you stop breathing in case you come around? I understand fire trucks at a car crash because of the jaws of life etc but not at a M/C collision. Maybe it's a wash down of spilled oil etc.
 
mmmnaked said:
Went to your insurance company. Most people don't realize that FD's bill for this, because their ins. takes care of it.
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As she said she didn't make a claim

Chris you live in the area she crashed, can you just "toss" the bill ;-)
 
ZX600 said:
As she said she didn't make a claim

Chris you live in the area she crashed, can you just "toss" the bill ;-)
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Just because you don't make a claim doesn't mean that it won't get to your insurance company. If cops are involved, all the information is recorded and I imagine there's some co-operation there between the fire/police services.
 
The firemen are paid for the services they provide in the jurisdiction - this billing outsider for where they live is just plain idiotic.

I don't expect them to cross the city to respond but it's their watch on their turf and the tax payers in their area pay for their services. This is a slippery slope to be on...
 
mmmnaked said:
Just because you don't make a claim doesn't mean that it won't get to your insurance company. If cops are involved, all the information is recorded and I imagine there's some co-operation there between the fire/police services.
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Yes but if my insurance was charged for the claim I'm sure I would know about it or be contacted by the insurance company, which I haven't been.
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