TOLEDO, Ohio — If you call 911 for medical help, a first responder will be there to help you. But resources aren’t unlimited. Fire departments across Ohio are struggling to keep up with the financial demands.
11 Investigates has learned that Lucas County operates in a $7.5 million deficit each year to provide unlimited emergency medical treatment.
It's also a soft billing county. This means Lucas County doesn't bill residents and nonresidents aren't referred to the Ohio Attorney General's office for collections.
At the same time, the minimum base cost for the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department to respond to a scene is $350, whether the crew is needed or not.
"The fear is eventually our calls for service are going to be greater than our ability to service the public,” said TFRD Lt. Zakariya Reed.
Called out, but no patient
TFRD says it responds to calls that don't require their help 17,008 times a year, 46 times a day and nearly two times per hour.
They might respond to a report of a car accident and the scene has already cleared. Someone could call 911 thinking that they’re hurt, but when crews arrive, the patient denies treatment. Or, the crews arrive and learn that the patient would rather take a private vehicle to the hospital.
That's $350 per call just to get the fire engine and ambulance out to the scene. That equals out to $5,952,900 per year in calls in which TFRD is not needed.
Hailing a solution, via taxi
TFRD contracts with Lucas County Job and Family Services to provide taxi services to patients who want to visit the hospital but might not need the bells and whistles of an ambulance.
"It's called Online Medical Control. Every hospital in the city of Toledo has a doc. And we have a med channel, a radio channel, that goes into each emergency room,” Reed said.
It’s an agreement the patient reaches with a responding crew. And the savings are clear.
TFRD has called in Black and White taxis every single month so far in 2024, including 56 times in April. LCJFS paid the company $632 in April to take the patients to Lucas County hospitals. The taxi service is seen as a way for the county to save money.
"It saves the department money, it saves the city of Toledo money, and it saves the taxpayers money at the end of the day,” said Reed.