MANITOU SPRINGS, COLO. (KRDO) - On Tuesday, January 20, the Manitou Springs City Council is planning on having the first reading for Ordinance 0126.
In a work session last week, Manitou Springs Fire Chief Keith Buckmiller introduced the idea of charging emergency fees to the council. It would allow the fire department, through a third party, to send a bill to your car insurance company if you cause an expensive emergency. This includes rescues that require the use of specialized equipment or personnel, such as unique hazmat materials or a special hillside rescue team.
If the fire department is called to a crash in Manitou Springs that involves a car fire or even a spill of hazardous materials that you caused, your insurance could get the check. For years, it was a complimentary service from the city.
"Historically, we've been doing it for free. The city has not been incurring the costs except for the replacement of some of those smart handkerchiefs," explained Fire Chief Keith Buckmiller.
But if this ordinance passes, the city won't pay for the smart handkerchiefs that clean spilled coolant and other hazardous materials anymore; your insurance would.
"Extrication is probably the more common of what we're going to see," shared MSFD Chief Buckmiller in a city council work session.
He spoke about this crash to the council.
"One, we had a car that ended up getting rested against a tree nose down in the canyon, and we had to strap the car to the tree, so it wouldn't fall over. And then we had to cut the metal to get the patient out," recounted Chief Buckmiller.
If you cause the crash, it could cost your insurance anywhere from $500 to $1700. The department estimates it could recoup thousands.
"It's somewhere between 30 and $60,000, which we could estimate billing for. And then 70% of that would be what we would expect to see, or 75," estimated Chief Buckmiller.
Officials say this ordinance is a way to charge those responsible without billing all residents.
We did ask the billing company, Fire Recovery USA, if this would impact your insurance premium. They said it depends on your insurance.
None of this is law at this point. City Council has to vote yes on the ordinance twice for it to be adopted. The second reading is set for Feb. 3.
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