Email Newsletter - June 2008

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1. Montgomery County Council Shelves Ambulance Fees–For Now

Council likely to take up ambulance billing again soon.

In response to your calls, emails, and letters, the Montgomery County Council has deferred placing ambulance fees into the County’s upcoming budget. Thank you for expressing your views to the County Council regarding this important issue.

Unfortunately, the battle to keep ambulance service free is not over. The Council will likely take up the issue again as early as this month when it reviews new ambulance fee legislation that is expected to be proposed soon.

This year the County Council has to make tough budget decisions. But not all revenue-raising proposals are worth pursuing. Ambulance fees are a bad idea in principle and in practice, and the Council should reject such fees again.

A number of reasons exist for rejecting ambulance fees. For starters, an ambulance fee is an additional tax on County residents and has the potential for discouraging many, particularly the elderly, the under-insured, and those with insurance co-pays and deductibles, from calling 9-1-1.

While some neighboring jurisdictions have imposed ambulance fees, results have been mixed. The fees have generated less money than promised, particularly in the early years. Over time, rates have gone up, more intensive collection efforts have been pursued (“soft” billing is quick to be jettisoned), and fees have been expanded to other types of fire/rescue services. Also, an ambulance fee would cost the County government at least $2 million a year in administrative costs alone, according to a 2004 County report.

Take action: Your calls, emails, and letters make a difference. Please express your opposition to ambulance fees by calling the County Council at 240-777-7900. Click here for additional reasons to oppose ambulance fees, the Council’s email address, and a sample letter.

2. Donate Your Used Vehicle to the Rescue Squad
Save on your taxes; help with our training.

The Rescue Squad seeks donations of vehicles to use in its training activities. Rescue Squad crews train constantly to maintain their proficiency in rescuing victims from car wrecks. We use donated vehicles to practice using our lifesaving tools so that we may continue to serve you, your family, and your neighbors. We do not sell donated vehicles.

You may donate a car or SUV by dropping off your vehicle at the Squad’s headquarters, 5020 Battery Lane, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, Monday through Friday during the hours of 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. You may also arrange for after-hours drop-off by calling 301-652-0077. Unlike many other charities, the Rescue Squad accepts vehicles that are in almost any condition (even vehicles with major engine or drive-ability problems). Before delivering a vehicle, please call 301-652-0077 to ensure that someone will be available to accept the vehicle. We offer free pick up of your vehicle in certain areas. For more information on how to donate a vehicle, including how to maximize your tax deduction, please visit www.bccrs.org.

3. Come see us at Big Train Baseball

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad Appreciation Night at Bethesda Big Train Baseball - Saturday, July 12, 7:00 pm.

What could be more fun than a summer evening of baseball, rescue trucks, and ambulances? Bethesda Big Train Baseball will honor the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad for its service to the community on Saturday, July 12. Rescue Squad ambulances and rescue trucks will be at the game for kids and adults to enjoy. Firefighters and rescuers will hand out giveaways to kids and provide information on volunteering with the Rescue Squad.

Join us at Shirley Povich Field, Cabin John Regional Park, 10600 Westlake Drive, Bethesda, Maryland. (near Montgomery Mall).

For information on game time and purchasing tickets, call Bethesda Big Train Baseball at 301-983-1006. Rescue trucks and ambulances will arrive shortly before the game for kids and families to explore. The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad thanks Bethesda Big Train for its generous support. For more information, visit www.bccrs.org or www.bigtrain.org (Clicking on this link will cause your browser to open a new window and take you to a third-party site). 

4. The Rescue Squad in the News

Members of the B-CC Rescue Squad were featured in the Bethesda Gazette in April. To read the article, and to see more coverage of the Rescue Squad, click here.

5. Volunteer: The Experience of a lifetime!

The Rescue Squad is recruiting new volunteer members. The Rescue Squad invites men and women 18 years or older who want to experience the excitement of responding to emergency calls and serving the community to volunteer a minimum of one night a week as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), Paramedics, and Firefighters.

The Rescue Squad has an extremely diverse membership that includes people of all ages and cultural backgrounds, and professions ranging from accountants to full-time parents, and government employees to school teachers.

Applicants need no prior experience or training to join the Rescue Squad. Prospective EMTs, Paramedics, and Firefighters receive free, professional training at the Montgomery County Public Safety Training Academy, leading to state certification, as well as annual physicals. Members have opportunities to receive further specialized training in such areas as swift-water rescue, rope rescue, confined space rescue, and emergency medicine.

. Interested in becoming a volunteer? Find out more. Call the membership hotline at 301-657-5557, email membership@bccrs.org, or visit www.bccrs.org. The Rescue Squad recruits volunteer members year-round and welcomes applications for membership anytime.
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Now in its 68th year, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad is a philanthropically operated, community supported organization that provides, at no cost to the recipient, the highest level of emergency medical, ambulance, rescue, and fire service for the greater Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Maryland, and Upper Northwest Washington, D.C. communities. For more information, visit www.bccrs.org. This email is not intended to solicit contributions outside of Maryland or the
District of Columbia.

This email is not intended to solicit contributions outside of Maryland or the District of Columbia.

A financial statement is available by emailing info@bccrs.org.

D.C. Charitable Solicitation No. 53004867.
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Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, Inc.

Email:info@bccrs.org

Web: http://www.bccrs.org