The Montgomery County Council’s Public Safety Committee has introduced Expedited Bill 6-26 to clarify how Emergency Medical Services insurance reimbursement funds may be used to support the County’s combined volunteer and career fire and rescue system.
The legislation responds to a recent Office of the Inspector General finding and is intended to provide clear legal guidance on distributing and using these funds while maintaining transparency and compliance with County law.
Under the bill, a portion of EMS reimbursement revenues could be distributed through the authorized local fire and rescue department representative and used for specified public safety purposes, including equipment, facilities, training, recruitment and retention, and administrative support directly tied to emergency services. The proposal maintains existing protections that prevent residents from being billed out of pocket for EMS services and requires that reimbursement funds supplement, rather than replace, baseline fire and rescue funding, while preserving oversight to ensure funds are used only for eligible purposes.
