Township of Unity, PA Chapter 7 Emergency Services

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Unity as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]

Article I Volunteer Fire Department Service Fees

[Adopted 5-14-2009 by Ord. No. O-8-2009]

§ 7-1 Fees for certain services; determination of fees.

A. Those volunteer fire departments located within the geopolitical boundaries of Unity Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and the Unity Township Fire Bureau are hereby permitted to charge and may initiate user fees for the delivery of emergency fire department services, personnel, supplies, and equipment to the scene of:

(1) Motor vehicle accidents, emergencies and/or fires;

(2) House, barn, shed and commercial structure emergencies and/or fires;

(3) Fires and other emergencies occurring during the course of construction;

(4) Fires and other emergencies occurring during the course of excavation;

(5) Hazardous material spills;

(6) Fires and other emergencies caused by electrical supply malfunction; and

(7) Any other emergency alarm to which a volunteer fire department (VFD) responds or services it provides that constitute an emergency service.

B. The service fees shall be at a rate which represents the usual, customary and reasonable costs (UCR) of supplying any service, personnel, supplies and equipment. Such costs may vary based on the actual costs of the individual occurrence and may fluctuate accordingly.

§ 7-2 Responsibility for payment.

The service fees shall be charged to the responsible or at-fault driver and shall be initially filed with his motor vehicle insurance carrier as an add-on cost of any claim for damages to vehicles, property and/or injuries as a result of the insured's negligence. Other claims shall be charged against the person, corporation, company or firm deemed to be responsible for bringing about the need for the service. The claim costs shall be billed to the insurance company, the owner of a vehicle, owner of property, or other responsible parties.

§ 7-3 Third-party billing.

The Unity Township Fire Bureau may make rules or regulations for the various VFDs and from time to time may amend, revoke or add rules and regulations for third-party billing as it may deem necessary or expedient for the collection of fees permitted under this article. This shall include entering into agreements with third-party billing companies for the billing, collection and distribution of such fees.

§ 7-4 Allocation of fees.

All amounts collected as a result of this article shall be placed into a fund established by the Unity Township Fire Bureau, to be used exclusively for supplies and equipment for the various VFDs.