Redding Fire Department begins charging hundreds of dollars for lift assists
The department describes the incidents that will be charged for as non-life-threatening events that pull valuable resources from other emergencies.
The Redding Fire Department has begun charging residents hundreds for lift assists, which it describes as “non-life-threatening situations in which individuals need help getting up after a fall or similar incident.”
In a press release, the department describes the incidents as low-acuity emergencies, meaning they’re important for the individuals involved but not considered life-threatening. Fire Chief Jerrod Vanlandingham said these types of calls pull valuable resources from other emergencies, such as cardiac arrests, child drownings and structure fires.
“We are here to serve,” Vanlandingham states in the press release. “That’s what community taxes pay for, but, in these cases, taxes are being stretched to cover situations that could be managed by the staff from assisted living facilities and retirement homes, or by family and friends.”
The First Responder Fee, which charges residents $489, was approved by the Redding City Council in 2023. Charges related to these incidents only began recently — residents are now being charged for lift assists going back to January 2025.
According to the press release, the fees collected from these calls will be returned to the fire department’s budget to cover fire engines and trucks, equipment, training and staff time.
If someone is charged a First Responder Fee, they can request a fee waiver, which involves sending a written explanation to the fire chief for review. The press release explains that the chief has discretion to waive or reduce this fee in special circumstances.
The department responds to about 1,200 lift assists a year, something local ambulance services don’t typically respond to due to “insurance limitations and staffing models,” according to the city’s press release.
Vanlandingham explains that just one fire engine being tied up with a lift assist call can create a “gap in coverage for someone experiencing a major emergency across town.”
“The goal of the First Responder Fee is not to discourage residents from calling 911 when it’s necessary, but to reduce the volume of low-acuity emergency requests that strain department resources and response times,” the press release reads.
The city says the fee will eventually apply to all Emergency Medical Service (EMS) calls that the fire department responds to. Several other California cities have First Responder Fees, such as Fairfield, Elk Grove and Roseville.
Madison Holcomb is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She’s reporting for Shasta Scout as a 2025 summer intern with support from the Nonprofit Newsroom Internship Program created by The Scripps Howard Fund and the Institute for Nonprofit News.
Do you have a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
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I am 81 years of age living on a fixed income. Due to medical situations in my case, I fall and have no means to get up by myself. I have an elderly husband who is in worse health than myself. He cannot help me get up off the floor. There is no living relative in our family that can assist me so where does this leave me city of REDDING? Calling for assistance from the fire department. It is embarrassing to do so and the fact that I feel like I am in positioning them now due to these fees being charged.
Please city of REDDING and fire department reconsider this charge or fee assessment of $489. The elderly living on a fixed income haven’t any means to pay these fees. Nor to commit themselves to a care facility, which charges far more for a month than even our monthly income. Many of us have no living relatives to help financially and certainly not physically be in a position to help.
It’s deeply concerning to see the burden placed on our elderly and medically vulnerable citizens. I would appreciate a detailed breakdown of the 1,200 calls—specifically, where these calls are coming from and the nature of the falls being reported. It’s disappointing that while we invest in public campaigns for fall prevention, those who genuinely need help are penalized despite being lifelong taxpayers. Come on, Redding Fire Department and City of Redding, take a more thoughtful and compassionate approach. One day it could be you. Have you ever tried to pick up a loved one who has fallen and unable to assit you in getting back up. It’s like lifing in some cases 2 to 3 times your own body weight. Get a clue. Frustrated City of Redding Citizen.
This just reminds me of those assine “rural fees” that they tried to get people to pay for Fire Services, which I never paid a single damn one
I am a homeowner resident of Redding, and I have never called 911 for assistance. Still, I have no problem with the Fire Department responding to persons who have fallen and cannot get up without assistance. These are emergencies to the persons involved. What gives the Fire Department the authority to define these as not emergencies? I respect firefighters for their valuable service but I include responding to persons who have fallen as part of the service for which we pay taxes. Just deal with it and document your need for additional funding to provide this service.
Sounds like Fire Chief Vanlandingham wants us ” Seniors” in assisted living facilities and not living in our own homes, which by the way we pay property taxes to pay for fire and police departments. Now do I understand this correctly that eventually all 911 calls will be charged if the fire trucks show up? I have never asked or expected them to show up.
Taken from Google:
The City Manager of Redding, has a total compensation of $458,532.34 for the fiscal year 2023. This includes a salary of $287,982 and additional cash benefits of $76,413.38. His salary is significantly higher than the average city manager. Tippin’s salary has increased by 53.84% from 2017 to 2023, indicating a notable growth in his compensation.
I guess that’s one reason we need a fee increase,
Am I going have to pay for a fall when I take my waste wheelers out on my block of Saratoga Drive which has deep cracks and caused me to stumble several times. Saratoga was resurfaced a few years ago, but they stopped before our block. It causes me great concern each week to navigate those cracks at 84 years old.
We have paid taxes to cover these incidents for years. This is just another tax on us for what should already be covered. Not everyone has a friend or relative to assist them when they can’t get off the floor, that is an emergency. Shame on you City of Redding.
I think the Redding Fire Department needs to rethink this fee. Where is the compassion in our society? People have paid taxes all their lives and have probably never needed the fire department until they have a fall. They will still respond to these calls, but it will cost $489?
Assisted living facilities may be a different story and if this is an issue it should be addressed separately.
I am concerned about elderly people who fall and need assistance, especially if they live alone. Doesn’t the fire department have a pickup or even a car to use for this type of situation? This is a huge expense for someone on a fixed income.
Hopefully the fire department will come up with some way for the community to help contribute to a fund to help cover the cost of this extravagant expense.
Using the elderly, disabled or just unlucky to fund the city fire department is deplorable. Yes, if a person overuses First Responders, there should be some action taken.
Roseville statement about their fee: “Our authority to impose the Emergency Medical Services First Responder fee comes from our Charter and our powers as a Charter City to impose regulatory fees in compliance with Prop 26. It is the same authority that allows us to charge any of our regulatory fees.
Fire Districts and General Law Cities cannot impose such fees without express authority, but Charter cities can do so under the “police powers” in the California Constitution (Art. XI Section 7).
Because Fire Districts cannot impose a First Responder Fee absent express authority, the California State Legislature gave them that authority by adopting Health and Safety Code section 13916, which expressly authorizes Fire Districts to charge the fee. That Health and Safety Code section does not, however, say ONLY Fire Districts can charge the fee. It is just the authorizing statute for them to charge it since they don’t have the same police power authority we have as a Charter City.”
Redding is not a Charter City last time I looked… Please investigate this.
Anita Brady Well said!
These fees will absolutely cause harm to people in need. No matter the stated reasoning, a nearly $500 charge against someone who probably has no one else to call is egregious.