Paramedics from the Brașov County Ambulance Service have been ordered to pay from their salaries for fuel consumed during emergency missions

Approximately 80% of paramedics from the Brașov County Ambulance Service have received payment demands for exceeding their monthly fuel allowances, with the amounts charged reaching more than 800 lei in some cases. The institution’s management is asking employees to pay for fuel consumed during missions, although they say the excess consumption was caused by the way the ambulances’ fuel usage was calculated.

According to information presented by Observatornews.ro, 50 lei has already been withheld from one employee’s salary. The paramedics say the situation is unfair and announce that they will challenge all the payment demands in court.

Technical service representatives explain that ambulances consume between 15 and 18 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers in emergency mode. During the cold season, the fuel used by the heating system in the patient compartment is added to this consumption. The system operates almost continuously and consumes approximately 0.8 liters per hour.

Until November, the auxiliary system’s consumption was not included in the official standard for the ambulances. The paramedics say they cannot turn off the heating while transporting critically ill patients, and that this technical and bureaucratic omission led to the excess consumption being charged to them.