(a) To the extent that adequate manpower and equipment is available, the City shall provide emergency medical service in response to a call for such service within the City and outside of the City under provisions of a mutual aid agreement or applicable law permitting mutual aid.
For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) "Advanced Life Support Assessment" means an assessment performed by an Advanced Life Support crew as part of an emergency response that was necessary because the patient's reported condition at the time of dispatch was such that only an Advanced Life Support crew was qualified to perform the assessment. An Advanced Life Support assessment does not necessarily result in a determination that the patient requires an Advanced Life Support level of service.
(2) "Advanced Life Support Intervention" means a procedure that is, in accordance with state and local law, beyond the scope of practice of an emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-Basic).
(3) "Advanced Life Support, Level 1" means the transportation by ground ambulance vehicle and the provision of medically necessary supplies and services including the provision of an Advanced Life Support Assessment or at least one Advanced Life Support Intervention.
(4) "Advanced Life Support, Level 2" means the transportation by ground ambulance vehicle and the provision of medically necessary supplies and services including (a) at least three separate administrations of one or more medications by intravenous push/bolus or by continuous infusion (excluding crystalloid fluids) or (b) ground ambulance transport and the provision of at least one of the Advanced Life Support, Level 2 procedures listed below:
Manual defibrillation/cardioversion.
Endotracheal intubation.
Central venous line.
Cardiac pacing.
Chest decompression.
Surgical airway.
Intraosseous line.
(5) "Ambulance" or "emergency medical service vehicle" means any motor vehicle that is used, or is intended to be used, for the purpose of transporting patients in a prone, supine or horizontal position. This shall also include any motor vehicle used, or intended to be used, for the purpose of responding to any emergency or life-threatening situation, while providing emergency medical service, the transportation of emergency patients, and the administration of emergency care procedures to those patients before or during the transportation.
(6) "Basic life support" means transportation by ground ambulance vehicle and the provision of medically necessary supplies and services, including Basic Life Support ambulance services as defined by the State. The ambulance must be staffed by an individual who is qualified in accordance with State and local laws as an emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-Basic).
(7) "Emergency medical service vehicle." See "ambulance" or "emergency medical service vehicle" above.
(8) "Emergency medical technician" or "EMT" means Emergency Medical Technician-Ambulance, Advanced Emergency Medical Technician- Ambulance and Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic as defined below, unless otherwise specified:
A. "Advanced EMT-A (ADV EMT-A)" means "emergency medical technician-ambulance" as defined below, but further certified under Ohio R.C. 3303.08 et seq.
B. "Emergency medical technician ambulance (EMT-A)" means an individual certified under Ohio R.C. 3303.08 et seq.
C. "Emergency medical technician-paramedic (EMT-P)." An "emergency medical technician-paramedic (EMT-P)" shall be specifically trained beyond the EMT-A and ADV-EMT-A levels as defined above, and certified under Ohio R.C. 3303.08 et seq.
(9) "Medical control" means a designated medical facility staffed by the appropriate emergency medical service personnel which provides prompt physician supervision through radio or telephonic communication to the paramedic in the field and which directs the transportation of the patient to the appropriate facility for definitive care.
(10) "Patient" means an individual who is sick, injured, wounded, or otherwise incapacitated or helpless.
(11) "Transport," for purposes of this chapter, means to carry or convey a person by publicly owned or operated motor vehicle being used in response to a call for emergency medical service from one location to another.
(b) Effective immediately, each person receiving emergency medical service from the City shall pay a utilization charge determined as follows:
(1) The utilization fee for each response by the City to a call for emergency medical services charged shall be as follows:
A. For Basic Life Support services without transport, there shall be no fee.
B. For Basic Life Support services with transport, the fee shall be five hundred fifty dollars ($550.00) plus twelve dollars ($12.00) per mile.
C. For Advanced Life Support services without transport, there shall be no fee.
D. For Advanced Life Support, Level 1 services with transport, the fee shall be seven hundred dollars ($700.00) plus twelve dollars ($12.00) per mile.
E. For Advanced Life Support, Level 2 services with transport, the fee shall be eight hundred dollars ($800.00) plus twelve dollars ($12.00) per mile.
(2) As long as the City of Tallmadge is a designated Medicare, Medicaid, and/or Workers Compensation provider, the City shall accept as total payment the foregoing rates established for all individuals covered by these programs.
(c) The Mayor may waive the aforesaid fee or a portion thereof, upon recommendation by the Fire Chief based upon information provided by the independent billing agency collecting such fees for the City using generally accepted collection principles and practices. Additionally, fees may be waived for any indigent person receiving such services and/or is otherwise unable to pay, and there is no other source for the payment.
(d) The fees herein shall be in addition to any other charges payable for such services, including but not limited to any tax levied, all or a part of which pays any portion of the cost of emergency medical services, and/or any charges or services rendered by others.
(e) The revenues generated by the charges for emergency medical services herein shall be deposited into one or more funds established by Council for the purposes of the acquisition of emergency medical services vehicle(s) and equipment, the payment of any of the costs of providing emergency medical and related services to the public and the costs of financing thereof, and any costs incurred in the collection of such fees. All interest earned on the moneys to the credit of such fund(s) shall be credited to the same fund or otherwise in accordance with the distribution of interest legislatively adopted by Council.
(f) The Mayor is hereby authorized to enter into one or more service contracts for the necessary billing and collection services to enforce this fee schedule subject to general bidding requirements established by Council.
(g) That the fees set forth herein shall be reviewed periodically on an annual basis by the Mayor, Fire Chief, Director of Finance, and the Chairperson of Council's Finance Committee. The amount of the fees may be amended as necessary, upon determination by these individuals, to reflect changing costs for such services. Council shall be given at least thirty days prior notice of such change in fees.
(h) That the Mayor or his designee shall be responsible for overseeing billing and collection fees provided for herein.
(Ord. 20-2019. Passed 2-14-19.)