Westfield to fee non-emergency 911 calls to residential care facilities

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — An “increasing misuse” of services for non-emergency situations in residential care facilities has set the Westfield City Council on a course to implement fees for non-emergency calls.

The Westfield City Council approved an ordinance, a first for Indiana, to create tiered fees for Emergency Management Service calls that could have been managed by residential care facilities or private ambulance services. To give residential care facilities to plan around the ordinance, it will not go into effect until October.

For the first half of 2025, the Westfield Fire Department responded to 1,651 EMS runs, “with nearly one-third originating form residential care facilities,” the fire department reported in a press release. “Of those, approximately one-third were deemed non-emergent.”

Non-emergency EMS calls include “lift assists” where no one was injured or transports for patients without emergency symptoms.

At peak times, when the Westfield Fire Department is juggling multiple calls, a non-emergency call can distract from serious situations where lifesaving care is needed. “When we are called, we will absolutely respond. However, non-emergency calls can strain our resources, potentially delaying responses to life-threatening incidents,” Department Chief Rob Gaylor said.

Westfield’s new ordinance will invoice residential care facilities, but not patients, for non-emergency EMS calls. Fees will progressively increase with each non-emergency call.

“Facilities are encouraged to manage non-injury lift assists in-house and contract with one of at least five private ambulance services for non-emergent transports,” the fire department wrote in the release.

The fire department’s Mobile Integrated Health division will work with residential care facilities to help clarify rules with the ordinance and assist in creating proper care protocols.

Full ordinance announcement

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