Redlands Municipal Code Art. II Permit Issuance Requirements

It is unlawful for any person, either as owner, employee or otherwise, to operate an ambulance, or to engage in business as an ambulance service operator, upon the streets or any public way or place in the city except in conformance with a valid city permit to operate an ambulance service. (Ord. 1987 § 1, 1987: prior code § 29100)

The equipment and personnel standards specified in this chapter shall apply to all ambulance service operators; provided, however, that the licensing and permit requirements shall not apply to:

A. Publicly owned ambulances;

B. Vehicles operated as ambulances at the request of local authorities during wartime emergency, duly proclaimed state of emergency or local emergency as defined in the California emergency services act (chapter 7 of division 1 of title 2 of the Government Code), as amended; and

C. Ambulances passing through the city, which neither originate from the city nor arrive to a call within the city. (Ord. 1987 § 1, 1987: prior code § 29101)

Permit fees shall be those which are, from time to time, set by the city council. All permits shall expire on June 30 of each year regardless of when they are issued. The annual business tax for an ambulance service shall be based on the gross receipts of the past calendar year, as set forth in this title. (Ord. 1987 § 1, 1987: prior code § 29102)

Prior to the issuance of a permit or renewal of a permit, an applicant shall file with the city manager an application in writing on a form to be furnished by the city manager, which shall set forth the following:

A. Name and description of the applicant;

B. Business address and residence address of the applicant;

C. The name under which the ambulance service will do business;

D. If a corporation, joint venture, partnership or limited partnership, the names of all partners, or the names of corporate officers, their residence addresses and their percentage of participation in the business;

E. If the applicant is applying for a permit to provide emergency service, a verification that the application is equipped to and will provide BLS service at all times in the city;

F. Express warranty from applicant in all applications that the applicant owns or controls the equipment required to adequately conduct an ambulance service in the city, which meets the requirements established by the California Vehicle Code, and that the applicant owns or has access to suitable and safe facilities for maintaining his ambulance service in a clean and sanitary condition. Both initial applications and renewal applications must contain a statement that the applicant will maintain (station) at least two (2) BLS equipped ambulances within the geographical boundaries of the city. Additionally, the applicant must establish to the reasonable satisfaction of the city manager that the applicant has adequate capability to back up or augment such BLS equipped ambulance if it is not immediately available to respond to a call therefor;

G. A complete description of each ambulance to be operated by the applicant, including a list of the internal equipment carried by each ambulance, the patient capacity thereof, and a copy of the applicant's current ambulance inspection report issued by the California highway patrol for each vehicle;

H. A statement by the applicant warranting that each permitted ambulance and its appurtenances conform to all applicable provisions of this chapter, the California Vehicle Code, the California Administrative Code and all other state, county or city applicable rules or regulations;

I. If the applicant is applying for a permit to provide emergency service, a statement that the applicant employs sufficient personnel adequately trained and available to deliver emergency BLS and/or ALS ambulance services of good quality at all times in the city;

J. A description of the level of training for each ambulance employee and a copy of each current certificate or license, including driver's license, issued by the state, county and the local emergency medical authority establishing qualifications of such personnel to be employed in ambulance operations;

K. A statement, in the initial application, that shows to the satisfaction of the city manager that the issuance of a permit is in the public interest and that there is a need for a permit to be issued;

L. A statement by the applicant that as a condition of the city issuing a permit, applicant agrees to appear and defend all actions against the city arising out of the exercise of permit, and shall indemnify and save the city, its elected officials, employees and agents harmless from any and all claims, demands, actions or causes of actions of every kind and description resulting directly or indirectly, arising out of, or in any way connected with, the exercise of the permit;

M. A schedule of rates to be charged by the applicant;

N. A statement whether applicant is seeking a permit to provide wheelchair services, advanced life support (emergency) or basic life support (nonemergency) level of service, or all three (3);

O. Such other information as may be required to satisfy the requirements of the emergency medical services plan for the county, as amended from time to time. (Ord. 1987 § 1, 1987: prior code § 29103)

Upon receipt of a complete initial (nonrenewal) application, the city manager shall conduct an investigation to determine if the applicant has satisfied all requirements of this chapter. Upon completion of his investigation, the city manager shall recommend to the city council that a permit be granted or denied. The determination of the city council shall be made after a duly noticed public hearing. (Ord. 1987 § 1, 1987: prior code § 29104)

A. The city council may order the issuance of a new permit to conduct an ambulance service in the city upon finding that the applicant meets all requirements of this chapter. The city council may deny a new or renewed permit if it finds any of the following conditions to be true:

1. That the application does not contain the information required by the provisions of this chapter;

2. That the vehicles described in the application are inadequate or unsafe for the purposes for which they are to be used;

3. That the color scheme, name, monogram or insignia to be used upon such vehicles is in conflict with or imitates any color scheme, name, monogram or insignia used by any person so as to be misleading or tending to mislead or misrepresent material facts;

4. That there is insufficient need for such additional ambulance service within the city; provided, that the sole fact there is an existing provider or providers shall not constitute sufficient proof that the insufficient need exists; or

5. That the applicant of the proposed ambulance operation does not meet all requirements set forth in this chapter, those of the county health officer or those set forth in the emergency medical service plan for the county as it may be amended from time to time.

B. The city council may deny a permit if the applicant or any partner, officer or director thereof:

1. Was previously the holder of any ambulance permit which permit was revoked or suspended;

2. Has, within the preceding five (5) years committed any act, which, if committed by a permittee, would be grounds for suspension or revocation of a permit issued pursuant to this chapter;

3. Has committed any act involving dishonesty, fraud or deceit whereby another is injured or where the applicant has benefited;

4. Has acted as an ambulance service operator in any city without possessing a required permit therefor;

5. Has aided or abetted any person in violating any provision of this chapter or any other ambulance ordinance; or

6. Has made any material misstatement of fact upon any application, or during the course of any investigation, required or permitted by this chapter. (Ord. 1987 § 1, 1987: prior code § 29105)

Before any permit is issued under the provisions of this chapter, the city council may require the applicant as a condition to the issuance of the permit to post with the city clerk a cash bond in the sum of seven thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500.00) or a surety bond in the same amount furnished by a corporation authorized to do business in the state, payable to the city. The bond shall be conditioned upon the full and faithful performance by the permittee of his obligations under this chapter and shall be kept in full force and effect by the permittee throughout the life of the permit and all renewals thereof. (Ord. 1987 § 1, 1987: prior code § 29106)

As a condition of issuance of a permit to operate an ambulance, the permittee shall hold harmless, indemnify and defend the city, its elected officials, officers and employees from any and all claims and lawsuits for damage to persons or property arising out of or in any way connected with the permittee's ambulance operations or operations of permittee's officers, employees and agents with respect to the provision of ambulance services, to the maximum extent provided by law. (Ord. 1987 § 1, 1987: prior code § 29107)

The permittee shall obtain and keep in force during the term of the permit public and bodily injury liability insurance issued by a company authorized to do business in the state, insuring the ambulance service operator and his/her employees against loss by reason of injury or damages to persons or property arising from the operation or defective construction of an ambulance, or from violation of this chapter or of any other law of the state or the United States. The policy shall also name the city, its elected officials, officers and employees as additional insured. The policy shall contain provisions waiving the insurer's right of subrogation and making the policy primary and noncontributing. It shall be in the sum of not less than five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000.00) for personal injury to or death of any one person in any single accident; and not less than five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000.00) for damages to or destruction of property in any one accident. Workers' compensation insurance shall be carried covering all employees of the permittee. Copies of the policies or certificates evidencing such policies shall be filed with the city clerk prior to the effective date of any permit issued under this chapter. All policies shall contain a provision requiring thirty (30) days' notice to be given to the city clerk prior to cancellation, modification or reduction of limits, and coverage shall extend through the next subsequent June 30. (Ord. 1987 § 1, 1987: prior code § 29108)

The permit shall specify the dates of issuance and expiration, the license number or vehicle identification number of each ambulance authorized thereunder, number of ambulance vehicles to be used by the permittee, plus any special conditions imposed as a condition precedent to the issuance of such permit by the city council. (Ord. 1987 § 1, 1987: prior code § 29109)

Upon request by the permittee, the city manager may amend the conditions specified in a permit if he finds such requested changes to be in substantial compliance with the provisions of this chapter. Such amendment shall not affect the expiration date of the existing permit, nor shall it authorize a change in ownership from that specified in the original permit. (Ord. 1987 § 1, 1987: prior code § 29110)

A. Permits may be renewed annually by the city manager upon application of the permit holder made at least sixty (60) days prior to expiration of the current permit:

1. If the permit holder proposes no substantial change in the nature of service to be rendered; and

2. If the city manager determines that the permit holder has, during the period of the expiring permit operated in conformity with the provisions of this chapter and the rules and regulations of the city, that he is capable of continuing operation in conformity with the rules and regulations of the city, and that all facts contained in the original and renewal application are still true.

B. Unless good cause can be shown by the permittee, it shall be valid basis for renewal of a permit if the permittee has not, during the preceding permit period, had a code 3 response time to at least ninety five percent (95%) of its emergency calls of ten (10) minutes or less. Such response time shall be measured from the time the permittee received the request until the permittee's ambulance actually arrived at the location for which the ambulance was requested. (Ord. 1987 § 1, 1987: prior code § 29111)