by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Residents of Watab Township near Rice are being reminded by the township board to tell a dispatcher if they have an emergency but do not want the services of Rice First Responders.
Recently, the board had letters to that effect hand-delivered or sent to residents who live in the township just south of Rice.
Many residents refuse to pay the bill for first responders because, they say, they did not request first-responder service.
When residents call 911 for a medical emergency, they must be sure to remember the following: If they do not want Rice First Responders but only Gold Cross Ambulance, they must tell the dispatcher not to send first responders, otherwise first responders will automatically be dispatched.
If first responders do come when they are unwanted, the service will still be billed to the township, and the township will then bill part of the cost to the one who made the 911 call.
The Rice Fire Department serves residents and businesses in the northern 12 sections of Watab Township for fire, rescue and emergencies. The township pays the City of Rice $350 for the first hour of service for each emergency call. And then, the township bills the property owner (where the emergency call originated) 75 percent of the cost of the service initiated by the call. Non-residents of Watab Township are billed the full cost. Typically, a bill for a resident is about $260 under terms of the current contract between the township and the City of Rice.
According to the Watab Township Board, 75 percent of people who received service from first responders do not pay the bill for the service. One cause for non-payment, the board letter states, is most do not have insurance policies that will cover first-responder services. Most policies, including Medicare, will cover all or part of the cost of ambulance service, but not first-responder services.
Those who owe money for first-responder services should contact the Watab Township clerk or treasurer to arrange to make monthly payments. If not, the township board will continue to seek payments through conciliation court, using collection agencies or assessing the cost to property taxes whenever that is possible.
People can contact the Watab Township Board by calling 320-255-8916.
The board’s website is www.watabtownship.com.