By Brenden Moore
Herald & Review
DECATUR, Ill. — Determining that a one-year trial run yielded the intended effect, the Decatur City Council voted on Monday to make permanent a $500 fee for the performance of lift assist services by the Decatur Fire Department at assisted-living facilities and nursing homes.
The council voted last year to adopt the ordinance allowing the fee, but tacked on a one-year sunset that would allow for the policy to be reconsidered.
Since then, the department has generated $13,500 from the policy. But more importantly, there has been a 60% decrease in the number of lift assist calls compared to the previous two-year average at commercial facilities, according to the city.
“This change has effectively achieved its intended goal, as fewer lift assist calls have been placed, and commercial facilities are now more responsible for the care of their residents,” City Manager Tim Gleason and Fire Chief Neil Elder wrote in a memo to the city council.
Lift assists had become a growing burden for the department, with calls increasing from 430 in 2014 to more than 1,000 in 2023. This can effectively take fire department staff away from their core responsibilities.
Though an aging population is part of the culprit, city staff believed it to be the result of private care providers refusing to provide the service for their residents. And as a result, transferring liability to the fire department.
Under the ordinance, a lift assist is defined as physically moving a person’s position to a different position who does not require emergency medical treatment or transportation.
Calls that result in medical treatment are not subject to the fine.
“When it was adopted last year, I think there was some resistance,” Elder told council members. “But as it’s moved forward, we haven’t really gotten a lot of feedback, and we have done fewer lift assists, which makes our resources available for emergencies throughout the city.”
The vote was 6-0-1, with Councilwoman Lisa Gregory abstaining due to what she described as “a professional conflict.”
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