(a) There is hereby established in and for the City of Lakewood the Section of Emergency Medical Services within the Division of Fire to provide emergency medical services.
(b) The Chief of the Division of Fire shall have the power to direct and manage the day to day operations of the Emergency Medical Services.
(c) Emergency medical service and ambulance transport shall be provided by the City of Lakewood, Division of Fire. All emergency medical service transport squads must be staffed and equipped to provide advanced life support transport services. Such services shall be provided in response to an emergency call for such services within the City, and outside the City under provisions of a mutual aid agreement or applicable law governing mutual aid.
(d) As used in this section and for reimbursement purposes, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectfully ascribed to them as follows:
(1) “Basic Life Support” shall mean any pre-hospital non-invasive intervention by personnel certified at the level of EMT-Basic as described in Ohio R.C. Ch. 4765. Such interventions include, but are not limited to non-invasive methods of airway control, oxygen administration, bleeding control, splinting of fractures, treatment of shock, patient assessment and recording vital signs.
(2) “Advanced Life Support” shall mean any pre-hospital intervention by personnel certified at the level of EMT-Paramedic as described in Ohio R.C. Ch. 4765. Such interventions include but are not limited to cardiac monitoring and interpretation of cardiac rhythms, external cardiac pacing, cardioversion, endotracheal intublation, intravenous cannulation, intraosseous infusion, emergency needle thoracotomy, and administration of medications.
(3) “Transport” means to carry or convey a person by publicly owned and/or operated motor vehicle being used in response to a call for emergency medical assistance from one location to another.
(e) Each person and/or applicable third-party receiving service by the City’s emergency medical service including “advanced life support” basic life support and/or receiving transport to a medical facility by the emergency medical services of the Lakewood Division of Fire shall be charged a utilization fee, effective upon passage of this section and to be implemented at the time of transition.
(f) The revenues generated by the charges for emergency medical services shall be placed into the Hospital Revenue Fund or one or more funds established by Council. The purpose of said funds includes, but is not limited to purchase or maintenance of emergency medical equipment and supplies, the purchase or financing of emergency vehicles, any related professional personnel costs, other uses which facilitate the delivery of emergency services, and any other general administrative expenses. All interest earned on the monies to the credit of such funds shall be credited to the same fund.
(g) The Mayor or the Mayor’s designee shall be responsible for the development of collection and billing procedures including, but not limited to, setting reasonable fees, annual review of fees, preparing invoices, delivery of such invoices to Medicare, Medicaid, other third party payors, and to each person who received emergency medical service and/or ambulance transport (in the case of a minor, delivery of such invoice to the legal guardian of the minor), and collection of said fees. City Council shall review said fee structure annually during the budgetary process.
(h) The Mayor or the Mayor’s designee may place any delinquent account for collection with the Director of Law (or the Mayor’s designee) who may waive the aforementioned fee (or any part thereof) if it is determined that the person receiving emergency medical services is indigent or otherwise unable to pay for such services.
(i) The Mayor, or the Mayor’s designee, is hereby authorized to enter into one or more service contracts or to make or approve such other arrangements as may be necessary for the operation of a Fire based EMS system, including but not limited to billing and collection services, and entering into third party reimbursement agreements. (Ord. 29-99. Passed 7-19-99.)