(a) A person who is not a member of the fire department or of an agency of the United States commits an offense if he furnishes, operates, conducts, maintains, advertises, or otherwise engages in or professes to be engaged in emergency ambulance service within the city, for the purpose of picking up emergency patients within the city, except in the following circumstances:
(1) A person shall operate an emergency ambulance within the city to render assistance during a catastrophe or major emergency if requested to do so by the fire alarm dispatcher when city-authorized emergency ambulances are determined to be insufficient in number or inadequate for other reasons.
(2) A person may operate an emergency ambulance within the city to render assistance to city- authorized emergency ambulances responding to a mutual aid call if requested to do so by the fire alarm dispatcher.
(3) A person may operate an emergency ambulance to a hospital within the city, if:
(A) the emergency patient was picked up by the ambulance outside the city limits;
(B) the ambulance making the emergency run is licensed and operated in accordance with the Emergency Medical Services Act (Chapter 773, Texas Health and Safety Code), as amended; and
(C) the person first notifies the fire alarm dispatcher of the route to be used in the emergency run.
(4) A licensee or permittee may operate a private ambulance within the city as a backup emergency ambulance if requested to do so by the fire alarm dispatcher when city-authorized emergency ambulances are not available.
(5) A permittee may operate a private ambulance on an emergency run if, upon responding to a direct call for nonemergency private ambulance service, the permittee determines that an emergency exists requiring the sick or injured person to be transported with all practical speed to a hospital and obtains permission from the fire alarm dispatcher to make the emergency run.
(6) A permittee may operate a private ambulance on an emergency run if, while performing the service of maintaining a private ambulance at a particular location for a special event, the permittee determines that an emergency exists requiring a sick or injured person to be transported with all practical speed to a hospital and obtains permission from the fire alarm dispatcher to make the emergency run.
(7) A permittee may operate a private ambulance on an emergency run to transport vital organs, including, but not limited to, hearts, lungs, kidneys, and eyes, to or from a hospital if the permittee obtains permission from the fire alarm dispatcher.
(8) A permittee may operate a private ambulance on an emergency run to transport a newborn or pediatric patient from a lower level skill facility to a higher level skill facility if:
(A) the patient’s doctor has determined that an emergency exists;
(B) the patient is accompanied by neonate/pediatric transport personnel; and
(C) the permittee obtains permission from the fire alarm dispatcher to make the emergency run.
(b) Any person who operates a licensed private ambulance on an emergency run under Subsection (a)(5), (6), (7), or (8) shall, within 30 days of each emergency run, submit to the director a report on a form provided for that purpose, describing the circumstances requiring the emergency run. (Ord. 21861)