Montgomery County’s volunteer firefighters hate just about everything to do with proposed ambulance transport fees.

The fees, proposed by County Executive Ike Leggett, would range from $300 to $800 per ambulance trip, plus $7.50 per mile traveled.

Bills would go directly to insurance companies, not residents, and county financial officials predict it could net the fiscally challenged county $14 million in the first year, which would fund fire and rescue service improvements. Leggett’s staff says no resident would ever receive an invoice or be asked to pay a dime for service.

Volunteer fire and rescue forces aren’t buying it.

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They wonder why, if residents themselves won’t receive bills, the county is banking on earning $800,000 a year from “self-pay revenues” in the county’s own documents about the plan.

County officials admit out-of-county people would be charged the difference between what their insurance company would pay and the full fee, and uninsured out-of-county people whose household income is above federal poverty guidelines would also be charged.

Volunteer teams share the concerns of County Council Vice President Phil Andrews, who worries the mere existence of a fee would make people hesitate before calling for help.

“We are trying to encourage people to get care earlier. This flies in the face of that,” Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad volunteer firefighter John Bentivoglio said. “We’ve found references in medical journals that show this is a factor.”

Montgomery spokeswoman Donna Bigler says leaders have found no truth to those arguments.

“We are one of the few in this region who don’t have this, and there is no evidence anywhere that people consider that fee when they are calling 911,” Bigler said. Fairfax and Prince George’s counties, the District and Baltimore City either charge or are in the process of instituting fees.

And firefighters worry implementing a fee will harm their ability to recruit and retain volunteers, as well as the donations they receive to operate.

“Basically they are looking for people to come and volunteer, but they’ll charge for their services,” Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad Chief Allan Platky said. “That seems to be diametrically opposed to our purpose.”

Bigler differs again, saying they’ll still be able to raise funds but the money is necessary to strengthen service.

“There are increasing demands and decreasing resources, and it just makes good sense to collect that fee,” Bigler said.

kmiller@dcexaminer.com