Nebraska Woman Billed 3 Times by California Fire Department She Never Used

78-year-old Linda Johnson received repeated bills for a fire department response she says never involved her.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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Linda Johnson, a 78-year-old woman from Omaha, Nebraska, has received three separate bills from the Roseville, California fire department for a $353 first responder fee from an incident on December 15, 2025. Johnson says she has never been to California and was in Omaha at the time of the alleged incident. Her son, Ronald Trammel, confirmed that Johnson was in Omaha that month. After repeated attempts to get the Roseville fire department to stop billing her, the department has now acknowledged the error and voided the bill.

Why it matters

This case highlights the challenges that some consumers face when dealing with billing errors, especially when the error involves a distant location they have never visited. It raises questions about the processes fire departments and their billing vendors use to verify the identity of those they bill for emergency responses.

The details

Johnson received three separate bills from the Roseville Fire Department for a $353 first responder fee from an incident on December 15, 2025. Johnson says she has never been to California and was in Omaha, Nebraska at the time of the alleged incident. Her son confirmed that she was in Omaha that month. After repeated attempts to get the Roseville fire department to stop billing her, they have now acknowledged the error and voided the bill.

  • On December 15, 2025, the Roseville Fire Department allegedly responded to an incident that they billed Linda Johnson for.
  • Over the following months, Johnson received three separate bills from the Roseville Fire Department for the $353 first responder fee.

The players

Linda Johnson

A 78-year-old woman from Omaha, Nebraska who received repeated bills from the Roseville, California fire department for an incident she says she was not involved in.

Ronald Trammel

Linda Johnson's son, who confirmed that she was in Omaha, Nebraska in December 2025 and not in California.

Roseville Fire Department

The California fire department that billed Linda Johnson for a first responder fee, despite her never having been to California.

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What they’re saying

“I know for a fact that she was never in California on December, that month my mom was here.”

— Ronald Trammel, Linda Johnson's son (kcbd.com)

“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.”

— Linda Johnson (kcbd.com)

What’s next

The Roseville Fire Department has acknowledged the error and voided the bill, so no further action is required from Linda Johnson.

The takeaway

This case highlights the importance of fire departments and their billing vendors having robust processes to verify the identity of those they bill for emergency responses, especially when the incident occurs in a distant location. It also underscores the challenges some consumers face in resolving billing errors, especially when dealing with distant organizations.