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1. What are your hours of operation?

Administrative Office hours are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Emergency Crews work 24 hours on-duty.

2. Do we bill for emergency transports?

Yes. We charge a fee for our Emergency Medical Transports only. We do-not bill for non-transports or Fire responses. Your insurance carrier is billed directly and all fees recovered go directly to the overall operation and staffing of the department thus help reduce the cost to the City budget and resident's tax base.

3. Do you have questions about your Emergency Medical Services (EMS) bill?

For inquiries, please contact our billing agency directly at 800-233-8989 or at this address:

McKesson Business Performance Services
(Formally MED3000)
3131 Newmark Drive, Suite 100
Miamisburg, Ohio 45342

4. What are my rights as a patient?

All patients rights are protected by Federally Mandated Health  Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) laws. This Notice  of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your  protected health information to carry out treatment, payment or health  care operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by  law. It also describes your rights to access and control your protected  health information. Read the notice of privacy practices (PDF) for more information.

Protected health information means health  information, including demographic information, collected from me and  created or received by:

• Another Health Care Provider
• Health Care Clearinghouse
• Health Plan
• My Employer
• My Physician

This  protected health information relates to my past, present or future  physical or mental health or condition and identifies me, or there is a  reasonable basis to believe the information may identify me.

5. Do we have volunteers?

Yes and no - we have programs that are supported by volunteers such as the CERT and the Home Safe Program otherwise our firefighter/paramedics are all career members of the division and are certified to the highest level allowable within the State of Ohio. Additionally, many of our members hold multiple certifications, degrees and specialized trainings above the recommended State minimums.

6. Why does a Fire Truck show up when all I called for was an ambulance?

Our ambulances are staffed with two (2) paramedics. There are some incidents that may require more "hands" than the two paramedics can handle therefore additional personnel are sent. The determination of what to send is started with the information that the dispatcher receives from the caller.

7. Why am I asked so many questions when I called 911?

The dispatch center uses a Priority Dispatching program that assists them in determining the severity of your incident but be assured that while you are talking to a dispatcher, crews are being sent. The information the dispatcher is gathering is relayed to the responding personnel to assist them. Additionally, the dispatcher may have life-saving instructions for you so please, if possible, stay on the line.

8. Can the Fire Department actually control the traffic lights?

Yes, the fire division utilizes a traffic management system known as Opticom™ GPS System. The system allows any fire division vehicle the ability to turn the traffic lights green in the direction of their travel while maintaining red in all other directions. The only authorized use of the Opticom™ GPS System is for:

• Emergency Responses to a severe incident: Lights and Siren
• Non-Emergency Responses to a less severe incident: No Lights or Siren
• Transporting a patient to an Emergency Room

At no time are personnel permitted to use the Opticom system for anything other than 911 incidents.The system has proven very effective with our response times while making the roads as safe as possible for everyone during a 911 call.