78-year-old Nebraska woman billed 3 times by fire department she never heard of
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT/Gray News) – A bill that is stamped past due would get anyone’s attention, but an older woman in Nebraska refused to pay for an emergency response in a city 1,500 miles away.
Linda Johnson has lived all 78 of her years in Omaha and never wished she could be a California girl.
“I’ve never been in California. I have a cousin living in California, but I don’t want to go to California,” Johnson said.
Billed three times for a call she didn’t make
Johnson has now received a bill three times for a first responder fee of $353 for fire department emergency service on Dec. 15, 2025, by the city of Roseville, California.
Johnson’s son, Ronald Trammel, said he knows she was not there.
“I know for a fact that she was never in California on December, that month my mom was here,” Trammel said.
Johnson said she recognized the bill as an error, but grew concerned as the notices kept coming.
“I know it wasn’t me. It might have been an error, and then they keep coming and now they tell me it’s past due,” she said.
Trammel called the billing service for the city of Roseville.
“Your bill is for the cost recovery of the fire engine’s medical response,” a recorded message said.
Convincing the Roseville Fire Department to stop billing became an emergency call for Johnson.
“They might send it to a collection agency or credit agency,” she said.
Expert: Don’t panic
Nebraska Debt Relief credit expert Gale Streff reviewed the bill.
“Don’t panic, for sure, and even when it goes to a collection company, they have to send out a dunning letter,” Streff said. “That’s their legal requirement to say, ‘Hey, is this your debt or not?’ And you can say, ‘No, it’s not my debt.’”
Bill voided after First Alert 6 inquiry
First Alert 6 contacted the Roseville Fire Department. A spokesperson said it was an error involving a single bill and that the city worked with its billing vendor to correct the mistake.
The bill has since been voided. No payment is due, and the department apologized for any distress the error caused Johnson.
“Got the problem solved. I really appreciate it. It’s a load off my back. I’ve got enough bills. I’ve got enough problems. I don’t need some in Roseville, which I’ve never heard of,” Johnson said.
The Roseville Fire Department and its billing vendor have now heard of Johnson, who lives in Nebraska, not in California.
Copyright 2026 WOWT via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
For more national news, click here.
