Brick's EMS Fee Update: What Would Change at the Nov. 10 Second Reading and Public Hearing

Brick Township is about to vote on new ambulance fees. On Tuesday, Nov. 10, the Township Council holds a public hearing on an ordinance that would raise several of the charges Brick's EMS bills for a call — including the base rate per transport, which would go from $800 to $1,500. So the question for residents is simple: who actually pays these fees, and what should you ask before the council votes?

What the ordinance would change

The ordinance amends Chapter 175 ("Fees"), Section 175-17, of the Township Code "to update the charges for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) by the Township." Here is what the text in the council's Nov. 10 Press Package (page 12) shows, compared with the current code (current → proposed):

• Base rate per transport: $800 → $1,500
• Mileage: $30 per mile → $40 per mile
• Oxygen administration: $100 → $150
• Disposable cervical collar: $35 → $50
• Refusal fee (treatment without transport): $150 → $350
• Extra attendant/bariatric: $125 → $225
• CPAP administration: new charge of $100
• AED administration: $95 (unchanged)
• EpiPen®: $200 (unchanged)
• Nonemergency (scheduled) stretcher transport: $500 (unchanged)
• Narcan: $150 (unchanged)

The base rate, per the ordinance, covers the dispatch of EMTs, basic life support services and emergency ambulance transportation to local healthcare facilities. Mileage is added on top of the base rate.

Where it stands

The ordinance is not law yet. According to the township clerk's notice printed with the ordinance, it was introduced and passed on first reading at the Oct. 27, 2026, council meeting. It is listed on the Nov. 10 council agenda as item 7.1, "Ordinance on Second Reading," for second reading, final passage and a public hearing.

Section 3 of the ordinance says it takes effect after second reading and publication as required by law. No calendar effective date is listed. The Oct. 27 meeting minutes have not been posted on the township's agendas and minutes page yet (the latest posted minutes are from Oct. 13), so we are not reporting a vote count for the introduction. If you want a refresher on the steps, see our explainer on how a Brick ordinance becomes law.

Who gets billed?

This is the question most residents will care about, and the ordinance itself does not answer it. The text sets the fee amounts. It says nothing about billing policy, insurance, or hardship waivers.

The best public description we found is secondhand. Shorebeat reported on April 15, 2026, covering the township's EMS budget presentation, that "the township charges insurance providers when it responds to calls, however it does not send bills directly to patients beyond what their insurance covers." The same report said Brick's EMS-Rescue department responded to 11,713 calls in 2025 and generated $2,224,429 from medical billing.

That is a news report of a practice, not a written township policy, and it predates this ordinance. Whether that practice continues under the new rates is a fair question to ask on Nov. 10.

Why the rates are being updated now

The current fee schedule in Section 175-17 of the Brick code dates back to amendments in 2014 (Ord. No. 7-14, with the EpiPen line amended by Ord. No. 13-14). The current code has no CPAP charge at all. The ordinance text does not include an explanation of how the new amounts were set.

Questions residents can ask

These are questions, not Team Brick positions. Team Brick has not taken a position on this ordinance.

• Who is billed? Is the township's practice still to bill insurance only, with no balance bill to the patient? Is that in writing anywhere?
• Insurance vs. out-of-pocket: What happens for residents with no insurance, or with high deductibles?
• Hardship waivers: Is there a waiver or payment plan, and how would someone apply?
• Where the money goes: How much more revenue is the township projecting, and does it stay with EMS?
• How the numbers were set: What comparison or cost study supports $1,500 per transport and the new $350 refusal fee?

How to comment on Nov. 10

The council meets Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 401 Chambers Bridge Road. Under the clerk's notice, anyone who wants to be heard on the ordinance will get the chance at the hearing. The agenda notes that each person addressing the council during a public comment section is limited to five minutes, under Brick Township Administrative Code Section 2-33B. You can read the full ordinance yourself on page 12 of the Press Package PDF. For another recent example of how a fee ordinance moved through council, see our coverage of the cannabis retail ordinance hearing.

The Brick First bottom line

Brick EMS-Rescue answered 11,713 calls in 2025, per Shorebeat, and that service has to be paid for. Residents still deserve straight answers before the vote: who gets billed, what you could owe out of pocket, and where the new revenue goes. Read the ordinance, bring your questions, and be heard on Nov. 10. Brick comes first.

Team Brick Republicans is an independent Brick First Republican reform movement in Brick Township. Sources: Brick Township Council Nov. 10, 2026, Press Package (agenda and EMS ordinance); eCode360, Brick Township Code §175-17; Shorebeat, April 15, 2026.