SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - A new lift assist fee will soon be implemented for assisted living facilities, independent living facilities, and nursing homes. This decision was made by the Springfield City Council during Tuesday nights meeting.

Initially, the ordinance proposed a fee for every lift assist request that was not related to a medical emergency. However, in response to concerns about potentially excessive fees, it was decided that the first two lift assists will be free. After that, a fee of $350 will be charged to the facility.

This fee does not apply to individuals residing in their own homes or to medical emergencies. It specifically applies to lift assists requested from nursing care facilities, nursing homes, and assisted or independent living facilities. 

"If they do fall twice in one day, maybe they have a bigger problem, maybe something medical occurring that they would need to go to the hospital. And if they go to the hospital, then that's not a lift assist, that's a medical call," said Springfield Fire Chief Ed Canny. 

This ordinance was proposed in response to the significant increase in lift assist calls over the past year. Canny is concerned that while his team is available to help those in need, there may be other urgent emergencies that require the fire crew's assistance.

 "We looked at our lift assist and just to one facility, we ran almost 100 ties last year in the 2024 calendar year. We ran the numbers, and we were in 2700 lift assist calls last year in the city of Springfield," said Canny. 

The aim of the new ordinance is to reduce the number of calls for lift assists at facilities, thereby helping to protect first responders from potential injuries while performing these tasks. The ordinance was approved by 8 out of 10 aldermen and will take effect on July 1, 2025.

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