UNPAID AMBULANCE BILLS

The Escambia County Commission has voted to write off 5.9 million dollars in uncollected fees for its ambulance service. The 12,760 accounts go back to 2005. Emergency Services is operated as an enterprise fund, which means its 24 million-dollar budget is paid by user-fees. Mike Weaver, public safety director, said the county writes off about 2 million dollars a year in unpaid ambulance service fees. The county charges $500 to $1,100 for an ambulance ride. The county attempts to collect unpaid debt for 90 days and it is then it is written off and sent to a collection service.