EASI shall adhere to the following as minimum standards.
(A) Equipment and management capability. Each and every ambulance and all onboard equipment utilized by the authority in performing services which are the subject of this chapter shall comply with applicable standards required for licensure. The authority shall maintain the equipment and shall employ sufficient backup equipment to ensure that a safe level of reserve equipment capacity is available to provide peak period ambulance coverage even at times when unusual occurrences of equipment breakdown and routine equipment maintenance coincide.
(B) Personnel. The authority shall ensure that two persons certified under state law are on board each ambulance on ALS ambulance runs or available for dispatch, at least one of which is certified as a paramedic, and the other of which is certified as a paramedic or emergency medical technician (EMT).
(C) Response time performance. Code 3 Calls (life threatening emergencies) - the authority shall furnish a diligent good faith effort to maintain an eight minute 59 second maximum response time for an Advanced Life Support paramedic ambulance. The authority shall employ enough personnel, acquire enough equipment, and manage its resources in the manner necessary to meet the eight-minute response time standard on not less than 90% of all presumptively designated Code 1 Calls originating each month from within the city limits.
(D) Continuous physician medical control required. EASI shall be responsible for ensuring that its field personnel at all times have access to qualified medical control and direction concerning the care of patients in the field by a base station physician or nurse. All medical control and direction shall be available by reliable radio communications, according to the communications standards and other standards of medical control set forth herein.
(E) Refusal to render emergency care prohibited. It is a violation of this chapter to fail to respond to a call to provide emergency ambulance service, to render first-aid treatment as is necessary, or to otherwise refuse to provide any emergency ambulance services within the scope of the ambulance operations, provided that these services are not required if the patient refuses to consent to treatment.
(Ord. 507, passed 2-20-18)