Sec. 28-2. - Purpose.

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 providing for 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, quality and to promote the sustainability of emergency medical services provided to the residents of and visitors to Sonoma County. It is intended to recognize the value of the diversity of agencies engaged in the provision of EMS within Sonoma County as well as the diverse needs of the rural and urban communities they serve. It is intended to ensure the coordination of the provision of health care within the out-of-hospital environment in Sonoma County is done in partnership with public safety agencies, public and private ambulance services, hospitals and health care systems as well as allied community partners. It is intended to recognize resources and needs within Sonoma County communities vary from rural to urban settings and to consider the EMS system as a whole in planning and coordination efforts. It is intended to recognize that some EMS services are provided by agencies with additional public safety responsibilities and to ensure consideration where appropriate is given to multi-disciplinary agencies' needs in providing services to their communities. It is intended to apply to basic life support, limited advanced life support services, advanced life support services, paramedic and emergency medical technician services, and all ambulance services, to the extent permitted by law. This chapter is not intended to regulate the provision of wheelchair vans, gurney cars or similar dedicated non-ambulance vehicles. This chapter applies to vehicles or aircraft requiring an emergency vehicle license from the California Highway Patrol, or an air carrier operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. This chapter shall be liberally construed for the accomplishment of these purposes.

(Ord. No. 6294, § I, 11-12-2019)