Colusa County Municipal Code Art. I General

(Ord. No. 548, (part))

This chapter shall be known as the “Emergency and Pre-hospital Medical Services System Ordinance of Colusa County.”

(Ord. No. 548, (part))

This chapter shall apply to the area subject to the local EMS plan except as may otherwise be limited or modified by court order or state law.

(Ord. No. 548, (part))

(a) This chapter is to provide for the public health, safety and welfare in the use of ambulance and other pre-hospital emergency care resources by the establishment of effective standards for the operation, equipment and personnel of ground ambulance and air ambulance services. It is intended to be consistent with and in furtherance of the public purposes expressed by the Legislature in the Emergency Medical Services Act and other enactments. It is intended to improve the availability and quality of emergency medical services within the EMS area under the jurisdiction of the Colusa County EMS agency (hereinafter “CCEMSA”). It is not intended, nor shall it be construed, to apply to services which are not rendered in emergency situations or in situations having the potential for emergency pursuant to state law. It is not intended, nor shall it be construed, to inhibit competition in the provision of non-emergency transportation, where no potential for emergency is identified by persons qualified to do so. This chapter does not cover wheelchair vans, gurney cars or similar dedicated non-ambulance vehicles. This chapter applies to vehicles or aircraft requiring an emergency vehicle permit from the California Highway Patrol, or an air carrier operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. This chapter shall be literally construed for the accomplishment of these purposes.

(b) This chapter is not intended to increase the obligations upon publicly owned and operated fire department or fire district ambulance services beyond the obligations already established and observed between the fire department or fire district ambulance services and the CCEMSA on or before January 1, 1992. While fire department and fire district ambulance services shall not be required to secure permits, the ambulances and their personnel shall be subject to all requirements established within this chapter, the Emergency Medical Services Act, the California Code of Regulations, and the policies, practices and procedures adopted pursuant to this chapter by the Colusa County EMS agency.

(Ord. No. 548, (part))

Unless otherwise specified, for the purposes of this chapter, words and terms are defined as follows:

(1)

Advanced life support.

Special services designed to provide pre-hospital care as defined in Health and Safety Code Section 1797.52 including, but not limited to, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, cardiac monitoring, cardiac defibrillation, advanced airway management, intravenous therapy, administration of specified drugs and other medicinal preparations, and other specified techniques and procedures administered by certified personnel under direct supervision of a base hospital.

(2)

Advanced life support engine company.

Any fire apparatus staffed and equipped to meet the minimum level requirements of CCEMSA to provide non-transport advanced life support care.

(3)

Ambulance.

Any privately or publicly owned vehicle specially designed, constructed, modified or equipped, and used for responding to emergency calls as defined herein, the purpose of transporting sick, injured, convalescent, infirm or otherwise incapacitated persons.

(4)

Ambulance attendant.

A qualified person (EMT-II, EMT-ID, EMT-P, MICN, RN, MD) acting as an attendant responding to an emergency call who occupies the patient compartment while transporting any individual in apparent need of medical attention.

(5)

Ambulance driver.

A licensed person who operates an ambulance as specified by this chapter in compliance with California Highway Patrol regulations by possessing an ambulance driver and EMT-1A certification.

(6)

Ambulance service.

An ambulance service is a private or public organization providing an ambulance for use in emergency service or a situation which has the potential of becoming an emergency.

(7)

Base hospital.

A hospital which upon designation by CCEMSA and with a written contractual agreement with CCEMSA is responsible for directing the advanced life-support system or limited advanced life support system assigned to it or them by CCEMSA.

(8)

Alternative base station.

“Alternative base station” means a facility or service operated and/or directly supervised by a physician and surgeon who is trained and qualified to issue advice and instructions to pre-hospital emergency medical care personnel, which has been approved by the medical director of the local EMS agency to provide medical direction to advanced life support or limited advanced life support personnel responding to a medical emergency as part of the local EMS system, when no qualified hospital is available to provide that medical direction.

(9)

Basic life support.

As defined in Health and Safety Code Section 1797.60, emergency first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedures which, as a minimum, include recognizing respiratory and cardiac arrest and starting the proper application of cardiopulmonary resuscitation to maintain life without invasive techniques until the patient may be transported or until advanced life support is available.

(10)

Board.

The board of supervisors, county of Colusa.

(11)

Certificate.

A specific document issued to an individual denoting competence in the named area of pre-hospital emergency medical services.

(12)

Class of services.

The level or levels of complexity of field emergency medical services that may be provided by permittee and/or certified person and will be specified as:

(A)

First responder.

Person dispatched in accordance with local EMS system policies who meets minimum training requirements specified in state EMS public safety personnel regulations.

(B)

Basic life support (BLS).

Provided by EMT-I personnel conforming to regulations established pursuant to California Health and Safety Code, Section 1797 et seq.

(C)

Limited advanced life support (LALS).

Provided by EMT-II personnel certified by the CCEMSA medical director.

(D)

Advanced life support (ALS).

Provided by EMT-paramedic or field MICN personnel certified by the EMS agency medical director.

(13)

County.

The county of Colusa, state of California.

(14)

Code 1 call.

Any non-Code 3 or non-Code 2 request for ambulance service which is scheduled or unscheduled where a physician, emergency medical personnel or public safety agency has determined a need for an ambulance because of a potential for an emergency but not requiring immediate dispatch.

(15)

Code 2 call.

Any request for ambulance service in a situation designated as non-life-threatening by dispatch personnel in accordance with county policy, requiring the immediate dispatch of an ambulance without the use of lights and sirens.

(16)

Code 3 call.

Any request for ambulance service in a situation perceived or actually life-threatening, as determined by EMS dispatch personnel, in accordance with county policy, requiring immediate dispatch with the use of lights and sirens.

(17)

CCEMSA.

As used in this chapter, CCEMSA is intended to mean and include Nor Cal-EMS, a private nonprofit corporation organized and existing under the laws of the state of California which is currently under contract with the county of Colusa to provide local EMS services pursuant to Health and Safety Code Sections 1797.94 and 1797.200 and as the board of supervisors may from time to time determine to delegate.

(18)

Computer-aided dispatch (CAD).

Computer-aided dispatch system consisting of associated hardware and software to facilitate call taking, unit selection, resource dispatch and deployment, event time stamping, creation and real time maintenance of incident database and providing management information.

(19)

Contract compliance committee.

A committee which evaluates ambulance contract compliance and reviews levies of penalties for noncompliance.

(20)

Emergency.

Any apparent sudden or serious illness or injury requiring, or having the potential of requiring, immediate medical or psychiatric attention under circumstances that delay in providing such services may aggravate the medical condition or cause the loss of life; furthermore, any case declared to be an emergency, or having the potential to be declared an emergency as determined by psychiatric observation under Welfare and Institutions Code Section 5150 due to the potential for an emergency.

(21)

Emergency call.

A request for an ambulance to transport or assist a person in apparent sudden need of medical attention or to assist a person who has the potential for sudden need of medical attention, or in a medical emergency as determined by a physician, to transport blood, any therapeutic device, accessory to such device, or tissue or organ for transplant.

(22)

Emergency medical care committee (EMCC).

The emergency medical care committee of Colusa County appointed by the Colusa County board of supervisors pursuant to California Health and Safety Code Section 1797.270 et seq.

(23)

Emergency medical services.

Medical services utilized in responding to a medical emergency.

(24)

EMS area.

All that geographical area within and governed by the Colusa County EMS plan except as may otherwise be limited or modified by court order or state law.

(25)

EMS plan.

Emergency medical services plan means a plan for the delivery of emergency medical services consistent with state guidelines addressing the components listed in Section 1797.103.

(26)

EMS dispatch (911/EMS).

The 911 emergency medical services dispatch center operated by the Colusa County sheriff.

(27)

Emergency medical services system.

A specially organized arrangement of resources including, but not limited to, first responders and ambulances which provides the personnel, facilities and equipment for the effective and coordinated delivery of pre-hospital and emergency medical care services.

(28)

Emergency medical technician-I (EMT-I).

An individual trained in all facets of basic life support conforming to regulations adopted pursuant to California Health and Safety Code, Section 1797 et seq., and who has a valid certification issued pursuant to those regulations.

(29)

Emergency medical technician-I (D).

An individual who meets all of the requirements of an EMT-I with additional training in defibrillation as approved by the local EMS agency.

(30)

Emergency medical technician-II (EMT-II).

An EMT-I with additional training in limited advanced life support conforming to regulations adopted pursuant to California Health and Safety Code, Section 1797 et seq., and who has a valid certification issued pursuant to those regulations.

(31)

Emergency medical technician-P (EMT-P).

An individual who is trained in advanced life support conforming to regulations adopted pursuant to California Health and Safety Code, Section 1797 et seq., and who has a valid state certification and regional accreditation issued pursuant to those regulations.

(32)

Exclusive operating area.

Means an EMS area or subarea for which CCEMSA or the board of supervisors restricts operations to one or more provider of advanced life-support services.

(33)

Fire EMS subcommittee.

A subcommittee of the Colusa County Fire Chiefs' Association.

(34)

First Responder (D).

A person who meets all of the requirements of a first responder and who has completed an additional training program in defibrillation approved by CCEMSA.

(35)

Medical control.

The medical management of the emergency medical services system pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 1798) of the California Health and Safety Code.

(36)

Mobile intensive care nurse (MICN).

An authorized registered nurse who has been certified by CCEMSA in conformation with the recommendations of the California Conference of Local EMS Agency Medical Directors definition of mobile intensive care nurses as qualified in the provision of emergency cardiac and noncardiac care and the issuance of emergency instruction to EMT-IIs and EMT-P field personnel.

(37)

Patient.

A sick, injured, wounded, invalid, expectant mother, convalescent or otherwise incapacitated person.

(38)

Permittee.

An organization which has initially been granted a permit by the board of supervisors to operate an ambulance service in the county of Colusa. After initial approval by the board of supervisors, annual permit renewals may be granted by CCEMSA.

(39)

Person.

Any individual, firm, corporation, association or group or combination acting as a unit.

(40)

PSAP (public safety answering point).

The primary answering location of an incoming 911 call.

(41)

Public safety personnel.

A person dispatched in accordance with local EMS system policies who meets minimum training requirements specified in state EMS public safety personnel regulations.

(42)

Receiving facility.

A general acute care facility which has been assigned a role in the EMS system by CCEMSA.

(43)

Service.

Ambulance service.

(44)

Service area.

Area of responsibility to provide pre-hospital care may include, but not be limited to, permit area, dispatch area or area included in exclusive operating area.

(Ord. No. 548, (part))

This chapter shall be administered by the CCEMSA administrator in coordination with the Colusa County department of public health.