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 Virginia Beach, Va. - A News 3 investigation caused a firestorm online. 
 
 An abuse of the system was exposed when we uncovered that an elderly couple called the fire department 1,100 times in the last three years in Virginia Beach. 
 
 Virginia Beach firefighters call it a growing problem say too many people call the fire department for non-emergencies. 
 
 Shirley Niemiec calls the fire department on a daily basis. 
 
 Her husband needs help getting in and out of bed twice a day. 
 
 The issue was addressed at a recent city council meeting. 
 
 Virginia Beach City Manager Dave Hansen said, “We as a public safety response team will respond to those calls until we can change our operating conditions at the approval of our city council.” Hansen and other city leaders are working right now create a solution for people who say they are not eligible for socials services but can’t afford home healthcare and use the fire department as a solution to non-emergency issues. 
 
 With more and more baby boomers aging, city leaders say it’s a growing problem. 
 
 “Unfortunately the numbers of these assists are becoming extraordinary so we are looking at putting policies into effect that will assist as best we can to find them other assistance to help them at home to do non-emergency care of those citizens,” said Hansen 
 
 And there’s an impact on taxpayers. 
 
 The fire department says it’s very difficult to estimate these types of costs. 
 
 The Virginia Beach Firefighter Union president said 1,100 calls for service would equal somewhere between $250,000 to almost half a million dollars. 
 
 William Bailey said the impact comes for many different aspects like fuel costs, firefighter salaries and maintenance on the fire trucks. 
 
 When you examine the number of miles in this particular case there have been roughly 3,900 miles put on the various fire trucks dispatched to this house. They live about 1.8 miles from Fire Station 19 . 
 
 When looking at the miles alone, it would be like driving from Virginia to California to Colorado. 
 
 Virginia Beach District Chief Kenneth Pravetz said, “The fire department is funded through taxpayer dollars, so the taxpayers are paying for it.” 
 
 He said that when you look at the firefighter salaries and fuel costs alone it adds up to about $65 per call. 
 
 Firefighters are paid the same amount of money no matter what types of calls they go on, so including that cost is debatable on whether to include that in the cost estimate. 
 
 But, of course, being tied up on a non-emergency could be problematic if something were to happen. ||||| Please enable Javascript to watch this video 
 
 VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Firefighters have been called to one home 1,100 times in the last three years. 
 
 The couple who live there call for help twice a day, and firefighters respond to help George Niemiec, who struggles to get around. 
 
 "We wanted to keep him at home and the only help he needs is getting in and out of bed," said his wife Shirley Niemiec. 
 
 Cameras were rolling as a crew showed up at the house on Thursday. 
 
 "When we decide to go to a call it's not really whether or not we're going to go, whether it's a emergency or non-emergency," said District Chief Kenneth Pravet with the Virginia Beach Fire Department. 
 
 Firefighters said they are working to get this couple the appropriate resources. But there's a problem. The couple said they don't qualify for social services and can't afford home health care. 
 
 The fire department recognizes this is a problematic situation. 
 
 "We are not in the home healthcare business. We are not here to provide non-emergency support. We will certainly help mitigate any problem that you have. But if it's not an emergency it's not what we can cover under our normal scope," said Pravetz. 
 
 Fire officials say they don't know how much all these calls for service are costing the city. 
 
 "Certainly there is cost associated with anyone going to one address multiple times." said Pravetz. 
 
 Shirley said she bought a device that could help lift George out of the bed. 
 
 "I got (it) before and I thought I could do it myself but I couldn't. If the nurses aide comes out they have to stay at least three or four hours, it's $25 an hour." she said that is a price she can not afford. 
 
 The fire department says this is a growing problem in the city as they have seen a rise in the number of older people needing lift assistance.
– Residents of Virginia Beach, Va., are asking how much is too much after reports that an elderly couple called firefighters 1,100 times in the past three years, WTKR reports. Shirley Niemiec says she has no choice but to call firefighters daily to help her husband George get out of bed. The fire chief estimated that each visit cost about $65, WTKR reports. But the firefighters union puts that total much higher: between $250,000 and half a million dollars, according to WTVR. "We wanted to keep him at home and the only help he needs is getting in and out of bed," Shirley Niemiec told WTVR. She said they thought they found a solution when they bought a lift to help George get out of bed. But, she said, “I thought I could do it myself but I couldn't.” So she started dialing up the fire station 1.8 miles from her house. The couple can’t afford the $25 an hour to hire a home health care aide, Shirley Niemiec said, and they don’t qualify for free social services. The situation poses a dilemma for fire officials who say more and more elderly call asking for help. Fire Chief Kenneth Pravet said enough is enough. “We are not in the home healthcare business,” he told WTVR. “We are not here to provide non-emergency support.” But City Manager Dave Hansen said the firefighters will keep answering calls like Shirley Niemiec’s until they find another solution.