New charges for emergency medical services established by Woodstock Fire/Rescue District.

PUBLIC NOTICE ORDINANCE NO. 256 ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING A SCHEDULE OF CHARGES FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FOR THE WOODSTOCK FIRE/RESCUE DISTRICT WHEREAS, the Illinois Fire Protection District Act grants to the Board of Trustees of a Fire Protection District the authority to "fix, charge and collect fees for emergency ambulance service within or outside of the fire protection district" (70 ILCS 705/22); and WHEREAS, the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District (the "District"), McHenry County, Illinois, is a fire protection district duly incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois 70 ILCS 705/0.01, et seq.; and WHEREAS, the District renders emergency medical services on public and private property within the District to resident and non-resident persons, businesses and other entities in the performance of its obligations to the public; and WHEREAS, such emergency medical services incur costs to the District; and WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees finds that it is in the best interest of the District to charge residents and non-residents a fee for providing emergency medical services. NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Ordained, by the President and Board of Trustees of the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District, McHenry County, Illinois as follows: SECTION 1: The facts and statements contained in the preamble to this Ordinance are found to be true and correct and are hereby adopted as part of the Ordinance. SECTION 2: Ordinance #255 of the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District adopted November 20th, 2025, is hereby repealed in its entirety. SECTION 3: The charges for emergency ambulance service within or outside of the District are as follows: A. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE A fee will be charged to any resident or non-resident of the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District who is provided with emergency medical services by the District or any fire protection district or municipality which provides emergency medical services to the District pursuant to a contract with the District. Residents and non-residents will be charged $1,922.37 for transportation to the hospital requiring either BLS, ALS, or ALS-2 level care and $28.75 per mile calculated as the distance from where patient is loaded into ambulance to the destination hospital. When emergency medical services are rendered by the District to persons, businesses or other entities, such persons businesses or other entities shall be billed for any additional charges which may exist once payment has been received from his/her/its health insurance provider. Unpaid balances for residents shall not be sent to a debt collector and unpaid balances for non-residents shall be assigned to a debt collection agency of the District's choice. B. EMS CARE WITHOUT TRANSPORT The District shall charge residents and non-residents of the District for emergency medical services rendered, but without transportation to a hospital facility. This includes instances when care is transferred to another EMS provider. Emergency medical services may include, but not be limited to, splinting, wound bandaging, IV therapy, and any medications. The charge for emergency medical services rendered in such a situation shall be $488.75 The District shall not charge residents and non-residents of the district for EMS responses in which no care is delivered. C. RECALCULATION OF FEES The emergency medical services fees charged by the District shall be established on an annual basis based on the Illinois Healthcare and Family Services Ground Emergency Medical Transport (GEMT) Cost Report calculation of the Woodstock Fire Rescue District Medical Transport Services and as approved by the Board of Trustees. The emergency medical services fees may be updated annually or at such other times as determined necessary by the Board of Trustees in accordance with the billing rates approved by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services pursuant to any subsequent Cost Reports submitted by the District under the GEMT Program or otherwise. The Fire Chief shall be directed and authorized to update the emergency medical services fees upon any subsequent changes to the District's approved billing rate(s) under the GEMT Program, subject to the approval or ratification by the Board of Trustees. D. EMS STANDBY FEES The District shall charge a fee when emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, vehicles, or equipment are requested or required to be on standby at public or private events for the purpose of providing immediate medical response if needed. This includes, but is not limited to, community events, sporting events, concerts, or other organized gatherings. Invoices for EMS standby services shall be issued to the event organizer or responsible party, and payment shall be due within 30 days of the billing date. Standard EMS Standby Fee: A base rate of $130.00 per hour per staffed ambulance (minimum two-hour charge). Additional Personnel or Units: If additional EMS personnel, vehicles, or specialized equipment are required at the request of the event organizer or as deemed necessary by the Fire Chief, additional hourly fees shall apply at a rate of $65.00 per hour per additional EMS provider and $150.00 per hour per additional vehicle. Cancellations: Cancellations made less than 24 hours prior to the scheduled standby time will incur a two-hour minimum charge. Exemptions: The Fire Chief may waive or reduce standby fees for community, nonprofit, or public service events that directly benefit the residents of the District. E. LIFT ASSIST SERVICE Pursuant to Illinois Public Act 104-0057, the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District is authorized to impose reasonable fees for lift assist services provided to licensed nursing homes, assisted living establishments, supportive living facilities, and other long-term care facilities as defined under Illinois law. This section does not apply to individuals residing in a private dwelling. A lift assist service is defined as a response by district personnel to assist an individual in returning to a bed, chair, wheelchair, vehicle, or other location when: • No emergency medical transport is provided; and • No billable emergency medical treatment as defined under Section D of this Ordinance is rendered; and • The primary purpose of the response is manpower assistance rather than medical intervention. Beginning on the seventh lift assist response to the same licensed facility within a calendar year, the district shall assess a fee of $750.00 per incident. This fee will apply to each subsequent lift-assist response occurring within the same calendar year. The first six lift-assist responses to a licensed facility within a calendar year shall not be subject to a fee. All lift assist fees assessed under this section shall be billed directly to the licensed facility. Nothing in this section shall authorize the district to refuse service to any facility or patient based on prior unpaid balances. F. REVENUES All revenue from the charges assessed pursuant to this Ordinance shall be deposited in the Ambulance Fund of the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District. G. NO REFUSAL OF SERVICES Nothing in this Ordinance shall authorize the District to refuse to provide any service to any person, business or entity that has not paid for services previously provided or that owes any money for services previously provided. H. HELIPAD CHARGE The District shall charge a fee of no more than $1,500.00 for any ALS or ALS-2-level care transport to a helipad.  SECTION 4: Any ordinances or parts of ordinances that are in conflict or inconsistent with any of the provisions of this Ordinance are hereby repealed to the extent they conflict. SECTION 5: The invalidation of any section, part, provision, term of phrase of this Ordinance shall not affect the validity of the remaining sections of this Ordinance. SECTION 6: This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect after its passage and 10 days after its publication. The Secretary is hereby directed to publish this Ordinance as required by law. MOTION made by President Spitzer, and seconded by Trustee Mueller, that the Ordinance be adopted. PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of Trustees of the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District, McHenry County, Illinois, and approved this 26th day of March, 2026. AYES:4 NAYES: 0 ABSENT:1 /S/ Frederick Spitzer ATTEST: /S/ Robert A. Kristensen  President, Frederick Spitzer Secretary, Robert A. Kristensen C E R T I F I C A T I O N I, ROBERT A. KRISTENSEN, do hereby certify that I am the duly appointed, acting and qualified Secretary of the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District, Woodstock, McHenry County, Illinois, and that as such Secretary, I am the keeper of the records and minutes and proceedings of the President and Board of Trustees of said Woodstock Fire/Rescue District. I do hereby further certify that at a regular meeting of the President and Board of Trustees of the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District, held on the 26th day of March, 2026, the foregoing Ordinance entitled, Ordinance Establishing a Schedule of Charges for Emergency Medical Services for the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District, was duly passed by the President and Board of Trustees of the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District. The pamphlet form of Ordinance No. 256, including the Ordinance and a cover sheet thereof, was prepared, and a copy of such Ordinance was available from the Secretary, commencing on the 26th day of March, 2026, and will continue for at least 10 days thereafter. Copies of such Ordinance are also available for public inspection upon request in the office of the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District. I do further certify that the original, of which the attached is a true and correct copy, is entrusted to me as the Secretary of said Woodstock Fire/Rescue District for safekeeping, and that I am the lawful custodian and keeper of the same. Given under my hand and the official seal of the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District this 26th day of March 2026. /S/ Robert A. Kristensen Robert A. Kristensen Secretary, Board of Trustees Woodstock Fire/Rescue District (SEAL) (Published in the Northwest Herald on March 31, 2026) 2315487