£110k for non-emergency call-outs for fire services in West Midlands and Staffordshire
Fire service bosses in the West Midlands and Staffordshire are on course to have charged more than £110,000 in a year for call-outs to non-emergency incidents including stuck lifts and people being locked out of their homes.
The fees were introduced as chiefs said there are other organisations that can deal with those situations.
Latest figures show some £95,000 will have been charged in the 2014/15 year by West Midlands Fire Service by March, and £18,000 in Staffordshire.
It comes as both services look to increase their share of council tax by nearly two per cent.
Bosses argue they had to bring in the charges to try to deter people from calling them to time-consuming incidents that divert them from serious emergencies.
People calling for non-emergencies in the Wrest Midlands face a charge of £412.80 per hour for every appliance or specialist vehicle sent.
