Streator City Council approved a new ordinance allowing the city to charge assisted living facilities and nursing homes for fire department lift-assist calls during its meeting on Wednesday night.

Streator Fire Chief Gary Bird said the fire department responds to roughly 10 lift-assist calls a month because facility staff are not allowed to lift residents on their own. Bird said that each call pulls firefighters and vehicles away from emergency responses and increases the city’s liability risk.

Under the ordinance, facilities would start paying fees after their sixth lift-assist call in a calendar year, with charges set at $35 per firefighter and $30 per vehicle.

The fees are meant to cover the cost of the service and are allowed under a new state law that took effect at the start of this year.

During the discussion, councilman Daniel Danko, who works at a care facility in Streator, brought up that it’s possible facilities may try to find a loophole by sending residents to the emergency room instead to avoid the fee.

Bird said firefighters will still evaluate each situation to decide whether a trip to the ER is actually necessary, adding that lift-assist calls have already dropped since the new state law took effect.