(A) The public utility model envisions all ambulance service to be provided by a single operator. However, the Common Council and the county Commissioners recognize the valuable role that volunteer ambulance providers may play in the system. To that end, the system adopted herein shall include a role for volunteer providers.
(B) (1) The rules and regulations contained in this section shall be in addition to those for volunteer providers adopted by the EMS Foundation Board of Directors. No rule relating to volunteer providers adopted by the EMS Foundation Board of Directors shall be inconsistent with anything in this section. All volunteer providers subject to regulation in this subchapter shall comply with all communications and dispatching standards and with all rules and regulations as may be adopted pursuant to this subchapter.
(2) All ambulance dispatching in the city and all ambulance dispatching originating on calls from participating townships, shall be performed by a single EMS control center, staffed by ambulance dispatchers certified in accordance with standards set forth in appropriates rule and regulations. The dispatchers shall monitor continuously the status of all emergency resources available in the Allen County EMS system, and the current demand upon those resources. All providers shall advise the EMS control center as to the status of the providers' ambulances at all times.
(3) Persons answering telephone requests for ambulance service, if such call originates from within the city or a participating township, whether received in the Allen County Communication Center or the city communications center, shall immediately upon discovering that the call is requesting ambulance service in an area served by the Three Rivers EMS system, transfer the request to the certified ambulance dispatcher at the authorized EMS control center. This transfer should be made in such a manner as to allow the ambulance dispatcher to talk directly with the caller, so that the most accurate possible assessment of the situation can be made, and so that appropriate direction can be given the caller concerning procedures to be taken prior to arrival of the ambulance. Ambulance requests originating from a non-participating township shall be handled entirely by the communications center without referral to the EMS control center. Furthermore, should the EMS control center receive an emergency call originating within a non-participating township said call shall be referred to the county communications center.
(4) In all calls originating within a participating township, the EMS control center shall dispatch the participating volunteer provider in that township and in addition shall dispatch such other vehicles as deemed necessary and appropriate pursuant to this subchapter and medical protocols.Where the dual dispatching or other dual utilization of both a participating volunteer ambulance unit and a paramedic emergency vehicle are involved, the following rules concerning patient transport shall apply:
(a) If both a paramedic ambulance and a volunteer unit are simultaneously dispatched on a call, and if the volunteer unit arrive first and determines, in accordance with approved medical protocols, that paramedic service is not required, the volunteer crew shall have the right to cancel the paramedic unit before the arrival of the paramedic unit at the scene.
(b) In the event both a paramedic unit and volunteer provider unit appear at the scene of an emergency, the volunteer crew shall retain the right to transport the patient except if the patient, in accordance with approved medical protocols, is defined as being in need or likely to be in need of paramedic services, or the patient or responsible party prefers that transport be made by the paramedic unit, or if the volunteer crew requests that the patient be transported by the paramedic crew.
(c) Any request for paramedic service by a participating volunteer crew shall be given the highest priority possible by the ambulance dispatch center.
(C) (1) The Medical Director, in consultation with the volunteer providers' advisory council, shall recommend to the EMS Foundation Board reasonable rules and regulations for volunteer providers. These rules and regulations may include on-board equipment and communications standards; provided, however, that no standard shall be imposed that would reasonably be expected to make it financially impossible for a volunteer provider to operate.
(2) The rules and regulations covering volunteer providers may require periodic local certification of volunteer crew members, provided that all skills, knowledge or training requirements in excess of those required for state certification must be determined by the EMS Foundation Board to be reasonable and practical.
(3) The Medical Director and EMS Foundation may require in-service training of volunteers in the area of basic life support skill maintenance, new procedures adopted in medical protocols, use of new equipment which may be required on BLS ambulances, diagnosis-specific refresher training found necessary as a result of medical audits performed and paramedic assistance training. The amount and kind of in-service training required of any participating volunteer shall be as is reasonably necessary to insure and demonstrate his or her competence in performing duties. No training requirement shall be made mandatory until such training has been available to volunteers for a period of 60 days.
(D) Participating volunteer providers shall be subject to participation in any medical audit performed on cases in which the volunteer crew was involved. To facilitate such audit, volunteer providers shall comply with all data system reports standards, including but not limited to the use of standard run report forms and dispatch report forms approved by the EMS Foundation. Failure by a volunteer provider to cooperate with a medical audit may result in a penalty set by the Medical Director, which may include suspension or revocation of the volunteer provider's license; provided, however, that no volunteer provider shall be penalized because of a volunteer crew member's inability to be present at a medical audit if such inability is reasonably beyond the individual's control. Any physician conducting a medical audit should use his best efforts to schedule the audit at a time and place convenient to any volunteer(s) who may be involved.
(E) In townships that consent to the Authority providing emergency medical services in that township, but which do not become participating volunteer providers, medical and dispatch protocols shall be established between the township and the Authority, subject to the approval of the Medical Director, which protocols may not require the township provider to comply with the other terms and conditions of this chapter relating to licensing, permits, medical audits, insurance, response time, or submitting to the jurisdiction of the Medical Director.
('74 Code, § 9-56) (Ord. G-16-82, passed 7-27-82; Am. Ord. G-19-98, passed 5-12-98)