County of 16,000 where I grew up contracts EMS with a hospital. 2013-14 budget is $2700 per day. Just can't wrap my head around that. Three ambulances, two medics each, 24/7 of course. Hospital does it all - finds their own quarters, does the billing, buys & maintains the rigs, hires the medics, furnishes uniforms, provides continuing education - everything. And when an adjacent county which also contracts with this hospital runs short, an ambulance from my former county fills in - and vice versa. Boy oh boy. When I was growing up in the 60's it was all the funeral home could do to get $10 per run. No wonder they gave it up in '66.
How much EMS costs
- Thread starter Jack Ramsey
- Start date
John ED Renstrom
PCS Member
I to have memories of the days of true volunteers. most of the funds came out of your pocket for training and maintenance on the rigs. the only reason you worked a job was to get money to make the ambulance service work. now it's mine is bigger then yours and how far we get into the taxpayers pocket depends on how big a rig we get.
"Remember, to us, every patient is worth $42.50 and 50 cents a mile!" - Harry Fishbein, F+B Ambulance.
Those days are long gone, huh?
Those days are long gone, huh?
When we raised our charges from $5 to $10 per in town call, we had families tell us "we'll pay it but you won't bury us!" needless to say they got the old price. With a budget like that we could have had a new coach every 6 months, maybe even two. I wouldn't go back to those days though even if we did have "real" sirens back then. 
Wayne Krakowski
PCS Member
We worked for peanuts, neighbouring city of Brantford was run from the fire dept.and if you were being punished you got ambulance duties,most did not like it, the budgets have skyrocketed,advances in medicine are great,the onus on the paramedic is the most I have ever seen,but for my 2 cents it is the same patient needing TLC and transport to the E.R and they don,t care how fancy your rig is.enjoyed the career in 1968 when I started and loved it when I leave earlier this year,cause in my heart the patient was right and first in my mind.
Jack-I don't want to sound like a salesman here! Find someone who has a copy of "Humble Heroes". I had data in there about how many runs it was calculated to support a full time ambulance service in the 60's and 70's. I don't remember the figures. I was surprised as well.
Scott is right, he doesn't want to sound like a salesman. A salesman would have said send me $12 and I'll send you a copy of "Humble Heroes" and you'll be surprised what you'll find.
That was a really enjoyable book too Scott. I just couldn't resist jerking your chain a little 
Danny Ryder - Deceased - 1962 - 2021
PCS Life Member
One thing I learned last year when I called ambulance for my wife. On way to hospital they went the long way and not direct route. I thought at the time how stupid. I beat them to the hospital and never even speeded and was able to get out of my car and walk to ER and wait for them. My wife died during the trip and when I got the bill I noticed they broke down charges for different things and then I seen chg for miles so I guess they take the long way to add miles to trip to make more money off people. I didn't like that one bit.
Danny Ryder - Deceased - 1962 - 2021
PCS Life Member
I should clarify. I did not make the last statement meaning my wife died because of them taking the long way. I feel in this case it would not have made a difference and I don't hold them responsible but just saying they should not make a habit of doing this. When we ran convalenscent service we knew miles for most trips and regardless of how we had to go we used same base rate.
Jean-Marc Dugas
PCS Member
When you think of the total system cost of operating an EMS system, you need to ballpark $600,000 per staffed 24 hour unit per year, abouth $4,900 per day.
This includes vehicle, equipment, supplies, preventative maintenance, fixed and variable costs, wages, benefits and replacement costs, administrative and insurance costs, fuel, dispatch, licenses and permits, collection rate, etc.
70 to 75% of those costs will be for wages, benefits and replacement costs.
Depending on the predicted call volume and kms / miles driven, the decision maker will then decide the subsidy / user fees ratio. The higher the user fees / the lower the subsidies (tax rate) will be.
In a case where the ambulance service is managed by the hospital, the majority of the administrative costs are probably absorbed by the hospital and there may be some other cost savings based on bulk purchase of medical supplies and equipment.
In my opinion, a daily rate of $2,700 per day for a 3 unit 7/24 staffed service sounds reasonable.
This includes vehicle, equipment, supplies, preventative maintenance, fixed and variable costs, wages, benefits and replacement costs, administrative and insurance costs, fuel, dispatch, licenses and permits, collection rate, etc.
70 to 75% of those costs will be for wages, benefits and replacement costs.
Depending on the predicted call volume and kms / miles driven, the decision maker will then decide the subsidy / user fees ratio. The higher the user fees / the lower the subsidies (tax rate) will be.
In a case where the ambulance service is managed by the hospital, the majority of the administrative costs are probably absorbed by the hospital and there may be some other cost savings based on bulk purchase of medical supplies and equipment.
In my opinion, a daily rate of $2,700 per day for a 3 unit 7/24 staffed service sounds reasonable.
I know a few years back you had to run four calls per unit a day to break even, five was profit. I wonder how this adds up today.
Russell Dalziel
President MotorCity Chapter
$ 93 / hour. I have 2 24 hour and ambulance crews and one supervisor plus 1 daytime crew and 2 wheelchair drivers ....its not cheap .....
Danny Ryder - Deceased - 1962 - 2021
PCS Life Member
7.9 miles for total of 79.00 just for miles