(A) No person either as owner, agent, or otherwise, shall furnish, operate, conduct, maintain, advertise, or otherwise be engaged in or profess to be engaged in the business or service of emergency, emergent, and/or convalescent transportation of patients within the county unless the person holds a valid permit for each ambulance used in such business or service issued by the State Department of Human Resources, Office of Emergency Medical Services, and has been granted a franchise for the operation of such business or service by the county pursuant to this chapter.
(B) No person shall drive an ambulance, attend a patient in one, or permit one to be operated when transporting a patient within the county unless he or she holds a currently valid state operator’s license and a currently valid certificate as an EMT (emergency medical technician), EMT-D (emergency medical technician - defibrillator), EMT-I (emergency medical technician - intermediate), or EMT-P (emergency medical technician - paramedic) issued by the State Department of Human Resources, Office of Emergency Medical Services.
(C) No person either as owner, agent, or otherwise, shall furnish, operate, conduct, maintain, advertise, or otherwise be engaged in or profess to be engaged in the business or service of providing rescue services or first responder services unless he or she has been granted a franchise for the operation of such business or service by the county pursuant to this chapter.
(D) No franchise shall be required for:
(1) Any entity operated from a location or headquarters outside of the county in order to transport patients who are picked up beyond the limits of the county, to facilities located within the county, or to pick up patients within the county for transporting to locations outside the county; but no such entity shall be used to pick up patients within the county for transporting to locations within the county or other locations unless it is rendering assistance to a franchised ambulance service in the case of a major catastrophe or mutual aid.
(2) Ambulances owned and operated by an agency of the county, the state, or the United States.
(3) Any entity providing emergency medical, first responder, rescue services, or ambulance services pursuant to a contract or other agreement with the county.
(Ord. passed 6-26-1997; Ord. passed 2-20-2017)