Burbank Municipal Code Art. 5 Paramedic Ambulance Service

The Fire Department shall provide emergency medical services consisting of mobile intensive care paramedic and ambulance transportation services in the City under the supervision and direction of the Fire Chief. [Added by Ord. No. 2682; formerly numbered Section 17-29; renumbered by Ord. No. 3058, eff. 2/21/87.]

A. Automatic Adjustment Of Fees: Fees and charges relating to paramedic services as designated in the Burbank Fee Resolution shall be updated and changed annually on July 1 each year beginning July 1, 1993, by an annual adjustment made by multiplying each rate and fee by the Los Angeles-Long Beach Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all urban consumers of the preceding April and by dividing the result of said multiplication by the same index of April of the previous year, as reported by the CPI Detail Report, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

B. Exception; Action by Council: Nothing in this section shall prevent the Burbank City Council from making permit and fee adjustments greater or less that indicated by the above calculation. An automatic adjustment as provided in this section shall not become effective until the thirty first day after the Chief has provided the Council with written notification of such adjustment. The Chief shall file with the City Clerk a certification in a form approved by the City Attorney demonstrating compliance with this subsection. [Added by Ord. No. 2682; formerly numbered Section 17-30; Amended by Ord. No. 3294, eff. 8/1/92; 3058.]

The Community Development Department shall have the authority and responsibility to bill and collect for all monies due the City from such ambulance service. [Added by Ord. No. 2682; formerly numbered Section 17 31; renumbered by Ord. No. 3058, eff. 2/21/87; Amended by Ord. No. 3828, eff. 8/24/12.]

Transportation provided by City ambulance shall be for emergency purposes only as determined by Base Station Hospital doctors or Fire Department paramedics. Patients in need of nonemergency ambulance transportation shall be referred to private ambulance services. [Added by Ord. No. 2682; formerly numbered Section 17-32; renumbered by Ord. No. 3058, eff. 2/21/87.]

In the absence of decisive factors to the contrary, an ambulance driver shall transport emergency patients to the most accessible emergency medical facility equipped, staffed and prepared to administer care appropriate to the needs of the patients. As used in this section “decisive factors to the contrary” shall include, but shall not necessarily be limited to, radioed instructions from the staff of the Base Station Hospital, written instructions signed by the patient, or, if the patient is unable to sign such request, by a member of the patient’s immediate family (a parent, legal guardian, spouse or adult children), or by the patient’s physician, provided, however, only upon instructions from the staff of the Base Station Hospital may such destination include a hospital or medical facility located outside the boundaries of the City. Patients requesting transportation to other hospitals or medical facilities of their choice shall be directed to arrange for transfer ambulance or paramedic transportation by private ambulance or paramedic services.

Except as otherwise provided by this section, “decisive factors to the contrary” shall also mean that patients picked up on or west of Main Street, in a northwesterly direction to Victory Boulevard, along Victory Place to San Fernando Boulevard shall be transported to St. Joseph Medical Center, and patients picked up east of said streets shall be transported to Burbank Community Hospital. [Added by Ord. No. 2682; formerly numbered Section 17-33; renumbered by Ord. No. 3058, eff. 2/21/87.]

A person in custody of the Police Department or an employee of the City injured or suddenly ill while on duty to or for whom said service is furnished by the City shall be exempt from the payment of fees for such service. [Added by Ord. No. 2682; formerly numbered Section 17-34; renumbered by Ord. No. 3058, eff. 2/21/87.]