Tulsa Approves Ordinance Allowing Fire Department to Bill Insurers for Car Accident Responses

The Tulsa City Council last week approved an ordinance allowing the city’s fire department to charge insurance companies for responses to some motor vehicle accidents.

The cost recovery program will charge the at-fault driver’s insurance carrier, and the fee amount will vary based on the severity of the crash. Fees will range from $710 to $1,865 per response.

The city of Tulsa expects to generate up to $1.2 million in reimbursements next year, Deputy Fire Chief Doug Carner told councilors. The ordinance could go into effect as early as Dec. 13.

Most insurance companies already have a built-in line item for first responder recovery fees, Carner said.

“Just from our recovery of funds, there should not be a price increase to individuals’ insurance premiums,” Carner said.

The Tulsa fire department has partnered with FireRecovery USA, a third-party vendor, which will collect recovery costs from insurance companies. Uninsured motors won’t be billed.

“We’re only going to ask for to be reimbursed from insurance companies,” Carner said. “We don’t want to put any of our citizens or any individuals in a financial hardship if they don’t have the insurance.”

The recovery reimbursement fee structure involves four tiers. The first response level involves assessment and scene stabilization and charges $710.

The fourth and most severe response level includes the use of extraction tools and charges $1,865. The charge will be applied when the fire department must free or remove anyone from vehicles using any equipment.

• Level 1 ($715): response involves assessment and scene stabilization. This will be the most common billing level, occurring each time the Fire Department responds to an accident or incident.
• Level 2 ($785): response includes Level I services as well as clean up and materials (sorbents) used for hazardous fluid clean up and disposal.
• Level 3 ($865): response involves car fires, including scene safety, fire suppression, breathing air, rescue tools, hand tools, hose, tip use, foam, structure protection, and cleanup of gasoline or other automotive fluids spilled because of the accident or incident.
• Level 4 ($1,865): response includes Extrication using heavy rescue tools, ropes, airbags, cribbing, etc. This charge will be added if the Fire Department must free or remove anyone from the vehicle(s) using any equipment.

The fees were established based on Tulsa Fire Department operational costs and national insurance billing rates provided by FireRecovery USA, according to Carner.

Carner said the fire department responds to approximately 4,400 car accidents per year.

Topics Carriers Auto