Page 1 - The Friday Flyer ● OCTOBER 11, 2019

CANYON LAKE’S NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 11, 2019

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The City of Can-
yon Lake provides
emergency medical
services as part of
its contract with the
County of Riverside
for fi re protection
services. Due to
skyrocketing costs,
the city can no longer
afford to provide
these services without
recovering costs from
those who use the
service. Therefore, the
city is establishing a
voluntary Emergency
Medical Services Sub-
scription Program for
the citizens of Canyon
Lake.
City of Canyon Lake is establishing a

voluntary EMS Subscription Program

BY DONNA RITCHIE til early 2021. not cover customers or other visitors to the premises of
EDITOR, THE FRIDAY FLYER At the Oct. 2 Regular Meeting of the City Council, the business.
The city provides emergency medical services as the second reading of Ordinance No. 187 was pulled All eligible participants will automatically be sub-
part of its contract with the County of Riverside for fire from the Consent Calendar in order to incorporate scribed in the EMS Program on June 30 of each year
protection services; however, the city does not recoup feedback from the City Council and to give residents for the upcoming fiscal year. The EMS Program sub-
any of the costs for providing the emergency medical additional time to better understand the ordinance. Or- scription fee will be collected on the property tax roll
services portion of these services. dinance No. 187 will appear on the Nov. 6 City Coun- by the city. The City Council has not yet determined
The city is operating under significant budgetary cil Meeting agenda for a second reading. Should the the amount of the subscription fee.
limitations as a result of California’s ongoing public ordinance be approved, the city will then conduct a fee By subscribing to the EMS Program, residents and
fiscal crisis. The high volume of calls for emergency study in order to accurately determine the amounts that business owners can avoid having to pay otherwise sig-
medical services represents a significant drain on the should be charged for the EMS program and for EMS nificant service fees when EMS services are rendered.
finances of the city and could jeopardize the city’s abil- service fees. Participation in the EMS Program is voluntary. Any
ity to continue providing first-class emergency medical The EMS Program will be open to all persons in eligible participant may decline to participate in the
services. possession, charge or control of any residential prem- EMS Program by submitting a written notice to the
The costs for emergency medical services have sky- ises within the city, permanent residents and any busi- city clerk.
rocketed in recent years and the city can no longer af- ness with a physical location in, and possessing a The city will charge an EMS response fee to any
ford to continue providing these services unless costs business license issued by, the city. Eligibility may be person receiving emergency medical services or any
are recovered from those utilizing the services. There- established through current utility billing records, rent eligible participant who is not subscribed to the EMS
fore, the city is in the process of establishing a vol- receipts, or other forms of identification which clearly Program. The EMS fee also will be charged when the
untary Emergency Medical Services Subscription Pro- reflect residency, property ownership, or a business lo- patient refuses emergency medical services when a call
gram (EMS Program). The program is modeled after cation within the city. was made at his or her request or by any person within
programs that have been implemented in the cities of A subscription to the EMS Program will cover the the patient’s household or business. The EMS response
Murrieta, Corona, Norco, Sierra Madre and many cit- eligible participant and all permanent residents at the fee will not be charged to any person refusing treat-
ies throughout Orange County. eligible participant’s residential premises, regardless of ment where the call for emergency medical services
The City Council adopted the first reading of Ordi- the location where the emergency medical services are was not made at his or her request or was made by
nance No. 187 during a Special Meeting of the Council rendered within the city. a person who is not within the patient’s household or
on Sept. 26. The adoption of the first reading of Ordi- For business subscribers, covered persons under an business.
nance No. 187 is just the beginning of the City Coun- EMS Program subscription will include all employees Once the EMS Program is ready to be implemented,
cil’s action of an involved process of preparing a new at the business address or employees who are else- the city will do extensive public outreach to make sure
Emergency Medical Services Subscription Program where in Canyon Lake in the course of their duties. A all residents and business owners are aware of the new
for implementation, which is not expected to occur un- business subscriber’s EMS Program subscription will program.