(a) “Agency vehicle” means a vehicle which responds to an emergency, the attendants of which may treat but not transport patients, and is operated at the BLS or ALS level by a provider agency under a permit issued pursuant to this chapter.
(b) “Ambulance” means a privately or publicly owned vehicle especially designed, constructed, modified, equipped, arranged, maintained and operated for the sole purpose of transporting sick, injured, infirm, convalescent, or otherwise incapacitated persons, and expectant mothers.
(c) “Ambulance dispatch center” means any entity that dispatches ambulances in response to a request for service through any means of communication.
(d) “Ambulance service provider” means any person or entity who, for monetary, public services, or other consideration, transports in one or more air or ground ambulances providing any class of service, one or more persons needing medical attention or services from any location within the County.
(e) “Ambulance service provider permit” means a permit issued by LEMSA in accordance with LEMSA policy authorizing the holder to act as an ambulance service provider within the County.
(f) “Ambulance permit” means the ambulance service provider has been granted a permit by the LEMSA to engage in a business or service in which ambulances are operated.
(g) “Applicant” means any person, organization, or service provider who applies for a permit under this chapter.
(h) “Board” means the Yolo County Board of Supervisors.
(i) “Class of service” means the level or levels of complexity of field emergency medical services that may be provided by the permittee and/or certified persons. These are:
(1) “First responder” means a person who provides the initial response to an emergency.
(2) “Emergency medical responder (EMR) level of care” is by a person who has completed a state-approved EMR course that meets or exceeds national EMS education standards for EMR and functions within the state and LEMSA approved scope of practice.
(3) “Basic life support (BLS)” as defined in Health and Safety Code section 1797.60 provided at the EMT scope of practice level, as defined in Health and Safety Code section 17919.80.
(4) “Advanced life support (ALS)” as defined in Health and Safety Code section 1797.56 provided by a paramedic as defined in Health and Safety Code section 1797.84.
(5) “Critical care transport (CCT)” a level of care during transport which exceeds the paramedic scope of practice requiring a higher level of health care licensure.
(j) “County” means the County of Yolo.
(k) “Critical care transport (CCT) services”, which shall be for "Specialty Care Transport" as defined in 42 CFR 414.605.
(l) “Department” means County of Yolo Department of Health and Human Services Agency.
(m) “Emergency Medical Services” or “EMS” means medical services performed in response to an emergency call.
(n) “EOA” means “exclusive operating area” as defined in Health and Safety Code section 1797.85 and in Section 4-6.309 below.
(o) “EMS aircraft services” means any aircraft services utilized for the purpose of prehospital emergency patient respond and transport. EMS aircraft includes air ambulances and all categories of rescue aircraft as defined in Title 22.
(p) “EMS dispatch” means the dispatch center designated by the LEMSA for the dispatch of EMS responders to emergency calls.
(q) “EMS entity” means a public or private organization of any type providing ambulance services within the County.
(r) “EMS system” means a specifically organized arrangement which provides for the personnel, facilities, and equipment for the effective coordinated delivery of medical care services under emergency conditions, as described in Health and Safety Code section 1797 and 1798.
(s) “Equipment” means the equipment required inventory set forth by the LEMSA for any ambulance, air-ambulance or agency vehicle pursuant to this chapter.
(t) “Inter-facility Transportation (IFT)” is defined as transportation between licensed health care facilities such as:
(1) Cancer hospitals;
(2) Children's hospitals;
(3) Critical access hospitals;
(4) Inpatient acute care hospitals;
(5) Rehabilitation hospitals;
(6) Sole community hospitals;
(7) Psychiatric hospitals;
(8) Skilled nursing facilities.
(u) “LEMSA” means the Local EMS Agency established by the County, designated by the Board pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 1797 et seq.
(v) “Maddy EMS Fund” references funding available through Health and Safety Code section 1797.98 which compensates health care providers for emergency medical services for individuals who do not have health insurance and cannot afford to pay for emergency care and for the discretionary EMS purposes.
(w) “Medical transport vehicle” means a vehicle, not an ambulance, specifically constructed, modified, equipped, or arranged to accommodate a stretcher or wheelchair and operated for the purpose of transporting sick, injured, convalescent, infirm, or otherwise incapacitated persons not requiring urgent transportation.
(x) “Patient” means a person who is sick, injured, wounded, or otherwise incapacitated or helpless and who may be transported in an ambulance, air-ambulance or medical transport vehicle, or is cared for at the scene of an emergency by a certified or accredited attendant or a public provider agency, or who dies following the commencement of such transportation.
(y) “Permittee” means a person who holds a permit.
(z) “Provider authorization” means an agreement between an EMS entity and the LEMSA specifying terms and conditions for the provisions of EMS including but not limited to class of service to be provided, LEMSA approval for optional scope of practice, participation in LEMSA data and quality improvement activities and/or performance standards.
(aa) “Public entity service” means a service which is provided primarily as a public service by an agency of local government.
(bb) “Station” means an approved facility from which a unit is operated.
(cc) “Substation” means an approved subsidiary facility from which a unit is operated.
(dd) “Service” means the operation of an ambulance, air-ambulance, agency vehicle, or medical transport vehicle to provide medical care or patient transportation within Yolo County.
(ee) “Transfer” means the movement of a patient by ambulance, air-ambulance, or medical transport vehicle from one hospital to another hospital, a medical facility, a home or other location.
(ff) “Transport” means the movement of a patient by ambulance or air ambulance from the scene of an emergency to a hospital.
(gg) Unit means an ambulance, air-ambulance, agency vehicle, or any medical transport vehicle.
(hh) “Volunteer” means a person who:
(1) Acts as a driver or attendant; and
(2) Does not receive more than fifty (50%) percent of his or her annual employment income from the EMS provider that is claiming volunteer status.
(ii) “Volunteer service” means a service which:
(1) Transports patients without compensation, other than reimbursements to defray the actual expenses of providing such service;
(2) It is either wholly or partly subsidized or otherwise operated under the auspices of some governmental or public agency, body or group, or any industrial or non-profit corporation; and
(3) Uses volunteers. (§ 1, Ord. 1515, eff. December 19, 2019)