(A) The licensed ambulance service shall be available on a 24-hour per day, seven days per week basis, with the ambulances and proper crews being stationed at a central office.
(B) Each ambulance shall, at all times when in use as such:
(1) Conform with the standards, requirements, and regulations provided for in this chapter and in the policy manual of the county emergency medical services system, under the authority of the state department of public health rules relating to the Emergency Medical Services Act effective May 19, 1981, as may be amended from time to time.
(2) Contain equipment conforming with the standards, requirements, and regulations provided for herein and in the policy manual of the county EMS system, which equipment shall be in proper and good condition for such use;
(3) Currently comply with all applicable laws of the state and local ordinances relating to health, sanitation, and safety; and
(4) Be equipped with such lights, sirens, and special markings to designate it as an ambulance as provided by statute and as may be prescribed in reasonable regulations promulgated by the license officer.
(C) Approval of Ambulances.
(1) No person, either as owner, agent, or otherwise, shall operate or allow another to operate an ambulance to respond to an emergency call for or on behalf of a licensed ambulance service unless its use as such is approved by the License Officer.
(2) All requests for approval to use an ambulance under this chapter shall be submitted in writing to the License Officer. The License Officer shall approve the use of an ambulance within fifteen (15) days of receipt of the written request unless its use would violate the provisions of this chapter, an ordinance of the City, or a state or federal law or regulation.
(3) A license ambulance service shall notify the License Officer in writing within five (5) business days after it permanently ceases use of an ambulance.
(D) When in use for emergency calls, each ambulance shall have as personnel in the ambulance at least one EMT-P and one EMT-B or two EMT-Ps. A registered professional nurse/MICN, registered professional nurse/field RN, or physician may be counted as an EMT-P or EMT-B for purposes of this requirement.
(E) Each ambulance service shall have at least two fully staffed ambulances at all times to furnish ambulance service within the city. Each such responding ambulance shall be staffed at the Advanced Life Support level as defined in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act (210 ILCS 50/3.10(A)). Beyond the afore-stated requirements, ambulance services may provide additional back-up ambulances that are staffed at the Basic Life Support level as defined in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act (210 ILCS 50/3.10(C)). A Pre-Hospital Registered Nurse (ECRN), Pre-Hospital Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (PHRN), Pre-Hospital Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (“PHAPRN”), Pre-Hospital Physician Assistant" (PHPA), as defined in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Act (210 ILCS 50/3.80(b), (b-10), (c)), a physician licensed to practice medicine in Illinois in all of its branches in accordance with the Medical Practice Act (225 ILCS 60/1 et seq.) who is assigned to provide on-board ambulance care shall be authorized to perform the functions of a person authorized to provide Advanced Life Support or Basic Life Support as the case may be so long as such person is acting within the scope of his or her directives or authority as issued by an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Director.
(F) A licensed ambulance service shall comply with the following response times:
(1) Emergency call. The ambulance shall arrive at the scene of the emergency within eight minutes of the time the emergency call was received by the ambulance service. This time requirement must be met at least 90% of the emergency calls received during any period of six consecutive months.
(2) Nonemergency. The ambulance shall arrive at the scene of the nonemergency within 12 minutes of the time the nonemergency call was received by the ambulance service. This time requirement must be met on at least 90% of the nonemergency calls during any period of six consecutive months.
(3) Compliance with the above response times may be waived by the License Officer in his sole discretion for the following circumstances:
(a) Failure by the dispatching agency to give accurate location information to the responding unit;
(b) Weather conditions which impair visibility, create unsafe driving conditions, or block a normal route to the scene of the incident to which the ambulance was dispatched;
(c) Wrong or incomplete address provided by the person requesting ambulance service assistance; or
(d) Unavoidable delays caused by conditions or circumstances out of the control of the responding ambulance service, including but not limited to road construction or a train blocking a railroad crossing.
(G) Each ambulance, its equipment, the premises designated in the application, and all records relating to its maintenance and operation as such, shall be open to inspection by the license officer or his designated representatives during usual hours of operation.
(H) A licensed ambulance service shall notify the License Officer in writing at least 120 days prior to changing its ambulance service location. The License Officer shall approve or deny the request within ten business days after receipt of a request. The License Officer shall approve the change in location unless the proposed change would violate this chapter or any provision of the city, state of federal law or regulations.
(Ord. 5913, passed 4-11-72; Am. Ord. 7035, passed 1-24-84; Am. Ord. 8401, passed 12-7-04; Am. Ord. 9061, passed 8-2-16; Am. Ord. 9214, passed 8-6-19; Am. Ord. 9449, passed 11-7-23)