EMS Membership Program FAQ's

A. Affordable
The EMS Membership Program offers Burbank residents an affordable means for paying paramedic and ambulance costs not covered by medical insurance when 9-1-1 is called for assistance.

B. Protection
The EMS Membership Program enables Burbank residents to protect their families from unexpected out-of-pocket expenses resulting from emergency medical care and transportation provided by the Burbank Fire Department.

C. Emergency Medical Services Provider
The EMS Membership Program is not an insurance plan – the Burbank Fire Department is a services provider. When a member receives emergency treatment and transportation, their medical insurance will be billed.

D. Payment Options
For $84.00 a year or $7.00 a month added to their Burbank Water and Power utility bill, Burbank residents will not be billed for emergency medical care and transportation provided by the Burbank Fire Department, as long as their membership dues are current. Membership dues are non-refundable. 

E. What does the membership fee cover?
All emergency medical care and transportation provided by the Burbank Fire Department are covered. If you have medical insurance, the Burbank Fire Department will bill them for the services rendered and will accept whatever they pay as “payment in full.”

F. Medicare
Medicare may not cover the total cost of pre-hospital medical treatment by Paramedics or ambulance transportation. Contact Medicare to verify your specific coverage.

G. Medi-Cal
Medi-Cal is accepted as payment in full and EMS Membership is not necessary. However, residents covered by Medi-Cal may still want to consider EMS Membership if their Medi-Cal plan requires a “share of cost” or if there are household residents who are not covered under the Medi-Cal plan. Contact Medi-Cal to verify your specific coverage.

9-1-1 is always the number to call in an emergency. The EMS Membership Program office phone number is for administrative use only.

To enroll, please follow these steps:

1. Fill out an Enrollment Form.
   
   
2. Choose one of these payment options (membership dues are non-refundable): 
   - If you receive a Burbank Water and Power bill, you can have $7.00 added to your bill per month. 
   OR 
   - To pay the fee annually, send a check for $84.00 payable to the Burbank Fire Department. 
   
   
3. Submit the form to the Burbank Fire Department via one of these options: 
   - Mail the form to:
     Burbank Fire Department
     EMS Membership Program
     311 E. Orange Grove Ave.
     Burbank, CA 91502
   OR
   - If you choose the monthly payment option added to your Burbank Water and Power bill, scan the form and email it to EMSMembership@burbankca.gov. 

No. The Burbank Fire Department realized a membership card may cause delays in emergencies if someone tries to find the card before requesting help. Your membership is confirmed by your name, address and date of birth.

All permanent residents identified by name on the enrollment form are covered by the EMS Membership Program.

Notify the Burbank Fire Department directly of any changes such as household member additions/deletions, address or phone number by emailing EMSMembership@burbankca.gov or calling (818) 238-3486. If a member moves to a different residence in Burbank and wishes to keep the membership, you must notify the EMS Membership Program office of the address change. Failure to update member information may affect benefit coverage.

No. Members are only covered within the City of Burbank for emergency incidents requiring medical care and transportation.

No. Non-emergency, routine ambulance transportation is not covered by the EMS Membership Program.

Your insurance company may only pay a portion of charges, or may not pay for any charges from the Burbank Fire Department for emergency medical care and transportation. This may result in an unpaid balance for which you are responsible. As an active member, you have extra financial protection in an unexpected emergency and are not responsible for any out-of-pocket charges from the Burbank Fire Department.

The Burbank Fire Department is not an insurance company. We are a provider of services. To maintain an exceptional level of emergency medical services to the community, we must recover the costs for the treatment and transportation provided.

You will always receive the highest level of emergency medical services by the Burbank Fire Department. By enrolling in the EMS Membership Program, the enrollment fee covers any charges for emergency medical care and ambulance transportation provided by the Burbank Fire Department that are not covered by your insurance. You incur no out-of-pocket expense related to paramedic or ambulance services. As a non-member, however, you will be billed for any services. You may give the bill to your insurance company who may not pay for your services. You will be responsible for any unpaid balance.

The purpose of the EMS Membership Program is to provide families with an alternative to paying for the cost of emergency medical care and transportation. The current fee is the reduced fee.

No, tax dollars provide for fire service to Burbank residents but not emergency medical services. The Burbank Fire Department has charged for emergency medical services since the EMS Membership Program began.

For a list of charges, please refer to the Citywide Fee Schedule, Article V - Public Safety, Section 1.