Why Arlington Heights Fire Department will start charging for repeated assist calls

Frustrated that they’re being taken away from emergencies, Arlington Heights Fire Department officials will start charging nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and residents with limited mobility who frequently call 911 for help moving around.

The number of so-called lift assists — what fire department officials define as non-emergency service requests to move someone who hasn’t immediately suffered an injury or acute illness — has increased, and is directly affecting the department’s emergency operations, Fire Chief Lance Harris said.

Call volume grew by 6% — from 483 lift assist requests in 2024 to 513 in 2025 — and numbers so far this year are on pace to be even higher, according to department statistics.

One resident required lift assistance for 25 days in a row in February, and another called 30 times over several months, Harris said.

“This is no longer an occasional issue but recurring demand on emergency services,” he said.

That prompted officials to devise a fee structure — approved this week on a unanimous vote of the village board — for recurring lift assist calls.

For individuals in private residences, there is no charge for the first three calls per calendar year. For four to six occurrences, the fee is $150 each. It’s $200 for seven to 10 times, and above that is $250 each.

• For nursing homes and assisted living facilities, there is no charge for the first six calls — a threshold that covers the facility address as a whole, not each resident who lives there. Fees begin after that at $250 per occurrence.

A state law that went into effect Jan. 1 allows local fire departments to bill senior living facilities for lift assists beginning with the seventh annual occurrence.

Other Northwest suburbs have similar fees in place. For individual residential addresses, Schaumburg doesn’t begin charging until the 11th lift assist call. Des Plaines charges fees after the 6th. In Wheeling, the first three calls are free, and in Hoffman Estates, the first two are free.

“This ordinance is not intended to create a new revenue source for the village or the fire department,” Harris said. “The primary objective is to curb a growing pattern of recurring non-emergency lift assistance usage that is impacting our emergency response readiness. The goal is behavioral change and encouraging individuals, families and care facilities to establish appropriate long-term support systems so fire department resources remain available for the other emergencies that are true emergencies.”

Before billing occurs, residents will get a first notice letter. They also may get a visit from the village’s nurse and social worker, who can provide information about medical equipment and in-home health aids, for example, said Village Manager Randy Recklaus.

All billing decisions are subject to review by the fire chief on a case-by-case basis.

“The intent is to balance compassion with accountability,” Harris said.

Seven senior homes in Arlington Heights could be subject to the new fees: Lutheran Home; Luther Village; New Summit Rehabilitation and Healthcare; Church Creek; Waverly Inn Senior Living & Memory Care; Mariella Memory Care; and The Moorings.

Harris met with executives at the first two facilities — who he says were receptive to the new policy — and has meetings scheduled with others in the coming weeks.