Anyone who has ever taken a ride in an ambulance — and later received the bill — has wished they could have done something to prevent the whole thing.

While it may not be possible to prevent every ambulance ride, Suffolk Fire and Rescue does have a program that will keep the bill at bay.

“The rate to take an ambulance ride is astounding,” Deputy Chief Franklin Adams said. “You can pay $400 to $800 just for the ambulance ride.”

But the department has a little-used program that can prevent that costly bill, and Adams has been tasked with increasing participation.

The EMS Passport Subscription service allows people who live or work in the city to pay a $60 annual fee to enroll all members of his or her household. As long as they are enrolled in the program, they will not receive a bill for the ambulance ride, although they or their insurance will still be billed for medical care provided along the way.

“We’ve really pushed hard on it for the past year to get the information out on it,” Adams said.

Information on the program has been running on the city’s municipal channel more often during the past year, Adams said.

“It’s an awesome deal for anybody,” he said. However, those who may especially want to consider it include those with elderly family members, serious health conditions in the family or lots of children.

“I think it’s a great deal for the elderly, because they don’t have the money to pay the bills and Medicare doesn’t always pay,” Adams said. “You can spend that and have the peace of mind that if something did happen, you don’t have to worry about a bill.”

The single fee covers all members of the household, as well as family members of the subscriber who live in assisted living or nursing home facilities located in Suffolk.

Adams said about 25 subscribers currently participate in the program, which is up significantly from about a year ago, when the effort to get more participation began.

For more information or to get the application, call 514-4550 or click here.