A public hearing was held in Downtown Brooklyn Friday on the New York City Fire Department's proposal to charge drivers when it provides emergency services at accident scenes.

It would allow the FDNY to bill at-fault drivers between $365 and $490, depending on the severity of the crash, for sending fire equipment to an accident.

The Fire Department says its work at an accident scene can be expensive, involving anything from securing the roadway, searching the scene, evaluating injuries and damage and assessing a fire risk. If there is a fire, firefighters often secure the vehicle, use their hoses and stay on scene until police arrive.

FDNY officials say with their budget in crisis, it has to look at all options.

"Obviously we are looking to spread the costs of these things,” said FDNY legal counsel Julian Bazel. “And when there are insurance policies that cover these things, if in fact they do, that would be one way to accomplish that goal.”

Representatives of AAA, the largest motorists' organization, say the so-called "crash tax" is an unnecessary burden.

“Imposing crash taxes on individuals unfortunate enough to have an accident adds insult to injury,” said John Corlett of AAA of New York State.

Some also expressed concern the hefty bill could discourage motorists from calling for help.

“We don't want to discourage people from calling 911,” said Assemblyman Michael Miller’s Chief of Staff David Slavkin. “There are legal concerns involved and the public health concerns.”

The FDNY says fire departments in a number of other cities already charge for going to accident scenes. Opponents argue that taxes in those cities are not nearly as high as they are in New York.

Some warned of a breakdown in government services if the "crash tax" is approved.

“As long as we don't have money to fund the cities, they're going to try to figure out where to cut, where to charge, where to lay people off, and this is one step in that direction,” said one New Yorker.

The City Council has no say over whether the department institutes the fee, but Council Speaker Christine Quinn said in a statement, "Charging for responding to the scene of an accident is a slippery slope, and I don't want to see us begin to go down that road out of a desperate desire to find sources of revenue."

A decision by the FDNY could still take weeks.