Ambulance Service Question & Answer

Commonly, when someone calls 9-1-1 for a medical emergency, they have a few questions come to mind after the urgency of their situation resolves. We strive to ensure that our customers understand the basic ins and outs of our services and hope that the questions below clear up any confusion that you may have should you need an ambulance yourself.

Question: I was having a medical emergency. Why did a fire truck respond when I really called for an ambulance?

Answer:

The reason that a fire truck will respond with an ambulance when you call 9-1-1 is to ensure that there is always an adequate number of people immediately available at your side to quickly and effectively resolve your emergency situation. Everyone that has been hired to work at Pattonville Fire District as a firefighter since 1990 has also been required to be a licensed paramedic. Each ambulance is staffed with two firefighter-paramedics with at least an additional two arriving on the accompanying fire truck.

When you call 9-1-1 you are first connected to an emergency medical dispatcher who will ask you a series of questions. If your answers to these questions cause them to classify your emergency as life threatening, then both an ambulance and a fire truck will respond to your call for help. This results in a minimum of four paramedics dedicated to assisting you. The additional paramedics are crucial when seconds can mean the difference between life and death such as when someone is having a heart attack or stroke, their heart stops beating or they stop breathing, or if they suffer significant bodily injury.

Question: If I call 9-1-1 for a medical emergency and Pattonville takes me to the hospital, will I get a bill for use of the ambulance service?

Answer:

If you are a resident of Pattonville Fire District and you are transported to the hospital by a Pattonville Ambulance, we will only bill your insurance. Residents of the Pattonville Fire District will not be billed for any outstanding charges that their health insurance does not cover. If you have secondary insurance and that insurance company pays you directly, then you are responsible for paying the remaining balance of your bill as no one should profit from being transported to the hospital by the ambulance. If you have no secondary insurance or no insurance at all and you receive a bill, please contact the office at 314-739-3118 to address your individual situation.

Question: The ambulance transported me to the closest hospital even though it was not my preferred facility. Why couldn’t they take me where I wanted to go?

Answer:

Pattonville Fire District strives to transport our ambulance patients to the hospital of their choice. There are times, however, when the additional time necessary to bypass the closest facility can have a significant impact on a patient’s wellbeing. For instance, when someone suffers a heart attack or stroke, every minute that they go without the types of treatments that only a hospital can provide results in increased tissue damage and permanent disability to their body. We will always place your health and welfare first and ensure that we provide the most appropriate care necessary during your time of need. Allowing us to transport you to the closest hospital can sometimes be the most significant factor in whether you have a positive or negative outcome in your health after the emergency.