It is the policy of the city to provide for the protection of the public interest as it relates to the transportation of the sick, injured, and deceased within the city, and as it relates to the efficient use of emergency medical services within the city. To this end, this article provides for the regulation of emergency ambulance service, emergency medical services, and private ambulance service to be administered in a manner that protects the public health and safety and promotes the public convenience and necessity. Nothing in this article will be construed to conflict with any state or federal law relating to emergency and private ambulance service. (Ord. Nos. 21861; 29544)
The director shall implement and enforce this article and may by written order establish such rules and regulations, not inconsistent with this article, as the director determines necessary to discharge any duty under or to effect the policy of this article. (Ord. 21861)
(a) Before adopting, amending, or abolishing a rule or regulation, the director shall hold a public hearing on the proposal.
(b) The director shall fix the time and place of the hearing and, in addition to notice required under Article 6252-17, Vernon’s Texas Civil Statutes, shall notify each licensee and such other persons as the director determines are interested in the subject matter of the hearing.
(c) After the public hearing, the director shall notify the licensees and other interested persons of the action taken and shall post an order adopting, amending, or abolishing a rule or regulation on the official bulletin board in the city hall for a period of not fewer than 10 days. The order becomes effective immediately upon expiration of the posting period. (Ord. 21861)
In this article:
(1) AMBULANCE means any motor vehicle constructed, reconstructed, arranged, equipped, or used for the purpose of transporting sick, injured, or deceased persons.
(2) AMBULANCE CALL means the act of responding with an ambulance, for compensation, to a request for transportation of a sick, injured, or deceased person.
(3) AMBULANCE PERSONNEL means a person who for compensation has the duty of performing or assisting in the performance of an ambulance call, including driving or acting as an attendant on an ambulance.
(4) CITY means the city of Dallas, Texas.
(5) CONVICTION means a conviction in a federal court or a court of any state or foreign nation or political subdivision of a state or foreign nation that has not been reversed, vacated, or pardoned.
(6) DIRECTOR means the director of the department designated by the city manager to enforce and administer this article, or the director’s authorized representative.
(7) EMERGENCY means any circumstance that calls for immediate action and in which the element of time in transporting a sick or injured person for medical treatment or in providing treatment for a sick or injured person is essential to the health, life, or limb of the person. Such circumstances include, but are not limited to, accidents generally, acts of violence resulting in personal injury, and sudden illnesses.
(8) EMERGENCY AMBULANCE means an ambulance specially designed, constructed, equipped, and used for transporting the sick or injured in answer to an emergency call.
(9) EMERGENCY CALL means any request for ambulance service that is made by telephone or other means of communication in circumstances that are, or have been represented to be, an emergency.
(10) EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES means services used to respond to an individual’s perceived need for immediate medical care and to prevent death or aggravation of physiological or psychological illness or injury.
(11) EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES VEHICLE means any motor vehicle constructed, reconstructed, arranged, equipped, or used in the mobile community healthcare program by the fire department for the purpose of providing emergency medical services but not for transporting sick, injured, or deceased persons.
(12) EMERGENCY PATIENT means a person in whom a sickness or injury may cause a significant risk to the person’s life or limb. Such sickness or injury may include, but is not limited to, trauma (major injury to the body, head, or extremities), chest pain, abdominal pain, unconsciousness, delirium, imminent delivery of a child, and serious infection.
(13) EMERGENCY PREHOSPITAL CARE means care provided to the sick or injured during emergency transportation to a medical facility and includes any necessary stabilization of the sick or injured in connection with that transportation.
(14) EMERGENCY RUN means an emergency ambulance trip, requiring the use of warning lights or sirens, to the place where an emergency exists or from the place of the emergency to a hospital, medical clinic or office, or other appropriate destination for the patient.
(15) FIRE ALARM DISPATCHER means the central communications center of the fire department.
(16) FIRE CHIEF means the chief of the fire department or the chief’s duly authorized representative.
(17) FIRE DEPARTMENT means the fire department of the city of Dallas, Texas.
(18) FIRE DEPARTMENT PARAMEDIC means a fire department employee certified as a paramedic by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
(18.1) HARDSHIP ASSISTANCE means the reduction of ambulance service charges assessed to a transported patient or the payment-responsible party on behalf of a transported patient approved by the city manager, department director, or designee.
(19) LAWFUL ORDER means a verbal or written directive issued by the director in the performance of official duties in the enforcement of this chapter and any rules and regulations promulgated under this chapter.
(20) LICENSE means written authorization issued by the director for a person to operate a private ambulance service within the city.
(21) LICENSEE means a person licensed under this article to engage in private ambulance service. The term includes any owner, operator, driver, ambulance personnel, employee, or agent of the licensed business, but does not include a subcontractor.
(22) MEDICAL DIRECTOR means a physician licensed by the Texas Medical Board who is under contract with the city to be responsible for all aspects of the provision of emergency medical services within the city under Title 22 of the Texas Administrative Code Chapter 197, as amended.
(23) MUTUAL AID CALL means a request for emergency ambulance service issued by one political jurisdiction to a neighboring political jurisdiction.
(24) NEONATE/ PEDIATRIC TRANSPORT PERSONNEL means a registered nurse, physician, or respiratory therapist specially trained in the emergency and transport care of newborn and pediatric patients.
(25) OPERATE means to drive or to be in control of an ambulance.
(26) OPERATOR means the driver of an ambulance, the owner of an ambulance, or the holder of a private ambulance service license.
(27) OWNER means the person to whom state license plates for a vehicle were issued.
(28) PERMIT means written authorization issued by the director for a person to act as an ambulance personnel on a private ambulance within the city.
(29) PERMITTEE means a person who has been issued an ambulance personnel permit by the director under this article.
(30) PERSON means any individual, corporation, business, trust, partnership, association, or other legal entity.
(31) POLICE CHIEF means the chief of police of the city of Dallas or the chief’s duly authorized representative.
(32) PRIVATE AMBULANCE means an ambulance constructed, equipped, and used for transporting sick, injured, or deceased persons under circumstances that do not constitute an emergency and have not been represented as an emergency.
(33) PRIVATE AMBULANCE SERVICE means the business of transporting, for compensation, sick, injured, or deceased persons under circumstances that do not constitute an emergency and have not been represented as an emergency.
(34) SPECIAL EVENT means any parade, sporting event, concert, or other event or gathering requiring on-site standby medical personnel.
(35) STREET means any street, alley, avenue, boulevard, drive, or highway commonly used for the purpose of travel within the corporate limits of the city.
(Ord. Nos. 21861; 29544; 31289)
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