Bill Text: OH SB302 | 2009-2010 | 128th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: To revise the requirements for staffing ambulances and the priorities for distributing grants for emergency medical services.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 5-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-09-13 - To Health, Human Services, & Aging [SB302 Detail]

Download: Ohio-2009-SB302-Introduced.html

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As Introduced

128th General Assembly Regular Session 2009-2010

S. B. No. 302

Senator Carey 

Cosponsors: Senators Schaffer, Harris, Seitz, Stewart 

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A BILL

To amend sections 4765.07, 4765.43, and 4766.03 and

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to repeal section 4765.431 of the Revised Code to

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revise the requirements for staffing ambulances

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and the priorities for distributing grants for

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emergency medical services.

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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1.  That sections 4765.07, 4765.43, and 4766.03 of	6
the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:	7

Sec. 4765.07.  (A) The state board of emergency medical	8
services shall adopt rules under section 4765.11 of the Revised	9
Code to establish and administer a grant program under which	10
grants are distributed according to the following priorities:	11

(1) First priority shall be given to emergency medical	12
service organizations for the training of personnel, for the	13
purchase of equipment and vehicles, and to improve the	14
availability, accessibility, and quality of emergency medical	15
services in this state. In this category, the board shall give	16
priority to grants that fund training and equipping of emergency	17
medical service personnel.	18

(2) Second priority shall be given to entities that conduct	19
research on, test, or evaluate one or more of the following:	20

(a) Procedures governing the performance of emergency medical	21
services in this state;	22

(b) The training of emergency medical service personnel;

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(c) The staffing of emergency medical service organizations.

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(3) Third priority shall be given to entities that research	25
the causes, nature, and effects of traumatic injuries, educate the	26
public about injury prevention, and implement, test, and evaluate	27
injury prevention strategies.	28

(3) Third(4) Fourth priority shall be given to entities that	29
research, test, and evaluate procedures that promote the	30
rehabilitation, retraining, and reemployment of adult or pediatric	31
trauma victims and social service support mechanisms for adult or	32
pediatric trauma victims and their families.	33

(4) Fourth(5) Fifth priority shall be given to entities that	34
research, test, and evaluate medical procedures related to adult	35
and pediatric trauma care.	36

(6) For grants distributed for the grant award years	37
occurring not later than the award year ending June 30, 2017,	38
sixth priority shall be given to entities that operate paramedic	39
training programs and are seeking national accreditation of the	40
programs.	41

(B) To be eligible for a grant distributed according to the	42
sixth priority, an applicant for the grant shall meet all of the	43
following conditions:	44

(1) Hold a certificate of accreditation issued by the board	45
under section 4765.17 of the Revised Code to operate a paramedic	46
training program;	47

(2) Be seeking initial national accreditation of the program	48
from an accrediting organization approved by the board;	49

(3) Apply for the national accreditation on or after February	50
25, 2010.	51

(C) The grant program shall be funded from the trauma and	52
emergency medical services grants fund created by section 4513.263	53
of the Revised Code.	54

Sec. 4765.43.  (A) A person who drives an ambulance that is	55
equipped for emergency medical services, is not required by this	56
chapter to be certified as an emergency medical technician-basic,	57
emergency medical technician-intermediate, or emergency medical	58
technician-paramedic.	59

(B)(1) During each emergency run made by an ambulance that is	60
equipped for emergency medical services and is operated by an	61
emergency medical service organization that does not utilize any	62
volunteer emergency medical service providers or does not	63
substantially utilize those providersDuring each emergency run	64
made by an ambulance that is equipped for emergency medical	65
services, the emergency medical service organization operating the	66
ambulance shall staff the ambulance in accordance with this	67
section.	68

For purposes of determining the applicable staffing	69
requirements, both of the following apply:	70

(1) An emergency run consists of the period during which the	71
ambulance is traveling to the scene of an emergency and the period	72
during which the ambulance is transporting a patient from the	73
scene of the emergency.	74

(2) If an emergency medical service organization utilizes a	75
combination of volunteer and paid first responders, emergency	76
medical service technicians-basic, emergency medical service	77
technicians-intermediate, or emergency medical service	78
technicians-paramedic, the organization is considered to be	79
substantially utilizing volunteers when the paid individuals,	80
taken as a whole, are scheduled for a total of not more than one	81
hundred sixty-eight hours in any week.	82

(B) With respect to the driver of an ambulance during an	83
emergency run, both of the following apply:	84

(1) The driver must be at least eighteen years of age.

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(2) The driver must hold a certificate issued under section	86
4765.30 of the Revised Code to practice as a first responder,	87
EMT-basic, EMT-I, or paramedic or a fire training certificate	88
issued pursuant to section 4765.55 of the Revised Code to provide	89
services as a firefighter.	90

(C) With respect to the portion of the emergency run during	91
which the ambulance is traveling to the scene of the emergency,	92
the ambulance shall be staffed by at least one EMT-basic, EMT-I,	93
or paramedic. This individual may serve as the driver.	94

(D) With respect to the portion of the emergency run during	95
which a patient is being transported, the ambulance shall be	96
staffed as follows:	97

(1) If the emergency medical service organization utilizes	98
only paid individuals or utilizes volunteers on a basis that does	99
not constitute substantially utilizing volunteers, the ambulance	100
shall be staffed by at least two EMTs-basic, EMTs-I, or	101
paramedics. When an ambulance is so staffed, it may be driven by a	102
person who is not certified as an EMT-basic, EMT-I, or paramedic	103
One of these individuals may serve as the driver.	104

(2) During each emergency run made by an ambulance that is	105
equipped for emergency medical services and is operated by anIf	106
the emergency medical service organization that substantially	107
utilizes volunteer emergency medical service providersvolunteers	108
or utilizes only volunteers, the ambulance shall be staffed by at	109
least two EMTs-basic, EMTs-I, or paramedics or by at least one	110
first responder and one EMT-basic, EMT-I, or paramedic. When an	111
ambulance is so staffed, it may be driven by a person who is not	112
certified as a first responder, EMT-basic, EMT-I, or paramedic. If	113
circumstances so require, an ambulance that is staffed by only one	114
first responder and one EMT-basic, EMT-I, or paramedic may be	115
driven by the first responder who is staffing the ambulance with	116
the EMT-basic, EMT-I, or paramedicOne of these individuals may	117
serve as the driver, but if the staffing requirement is being met	118
by utilizing a first responder, the first responder shall serve as	119
the driver.	120

(C) For purposes of division (B) of this section, an	121
emergency medical service organization substantially utilizes	122
volunteer emergency medical service providers if, on any given	123
date, for the six-month period immediately prior to that date, the	124
organization's daily average number of hours during which the	125
organization used only volunteer first responders, volunteer	126
EMTs-basic, volunteer EMTs-I, or volunteer paramedics, or a	127
combination of such volunteers, was fifty per cent or more of the	128
daily average number of hours that the organization made emergency	129
medical services available to the public.	130

Sec. 4766.03.  (A) The Ohio medical transportation board	131
shall adopt rules, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised	132
Code, implementing the requirements of this chapter. The rules	133
shall include provisions relating to the following:	134

(1) Requirements for an emergency medical service	135
organization to receive a permit for an ambulance or nontransport	136
vehicle;	137

(2) Requirements for an emergency medical service	138
organization to receive a license as a basic life-support,	139
intermediate life-support, advanced life-support, or mobile	140
intensive care unit organization;	141

(3) Requirements for a nonemergency medical service	142
organization to receive a permit for an ambulette vehicle;	143

(4) Requirements for a nonemergency medical service	144
organization to receive a license for an ambulette service;	145

(5) Requirements for an air medical service organization to	146
receive a permit for a rotorcraft air ambulance or fixed wing air	147
ambulance;	148

(6) Requirements for licensure of air medical service	149
organizations;	150

(7) Forms for applications and renewals of licenses and	151
permits;	152

(8) Requirements for record keeping of service responses made	153
by licensed emergency medical service organizations;	154

(9) Fee amounts for licenses and permits, and their renewals;

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(10) Inspection requirements for licensees' vehicles or	156
aircraft, records, and physical facilities;	157

(11) Fee amounts for inspections of ambulances, ambulettes,	158
rotorcraft air ambulances, fixed wing air ambulances, and	159
nontransport vehicles;	160

(12) Requirements for ambulances and nontransport vehicles	161
used by licensed emergency medical service organizations, for	162
ambulette vehicles used by licensed nonemergency medical service	163
organizations, and for rotorcraft air ambulances or fixed wing air	164
ambulances used by licensed air medical service organizations that	165
specify for each type of vehicle or aircraft the types of	166
equipment that must be carried, the communication systems that	167
must be maintained, and the personnel who must staff the vehicle	168
or aircraft;	169

(13) The level of care each type of emergency medical service	170
organization, nonemergency medical service organization, and air	171
medical service organization is authorized to provide;	172

(14) Eligibility requirements for employment as an ambulette	173
driver, including grounds for disqualification due to the results	174
of a motor vehicle law violation check, chemical test, or criminal	175
records check. The rule may require that an applicant for	176
employment as an ambulette driver provide a set of fingerprints to	177
law enforcement authorities if the applicant comes under final	178
consideration for employment.	179

(15) Any other rules that the board determines necessary for	180
the implementation and enforcement of this chapter.	181

(B) In the rules for ambulances and nontransport vehicles	182
adopted under division (A)(12) of this section, the board may	183
establish requirements that vary according to whether the	184
emergency medical service organization using the vehicles is	185
licensed as a basic life-support, intermediate life-support,	186
advanced life-support, or mobile intensive care unit organization.	187

(C) A mobile intensive care unit that is not dually certified	188
to provide advanced life-support and meets the requirements of the	189
rules adopted under this section is not required to carry	190
immobilization equipment, including board splint kits, traction	191
splints, backboards, backboard straps, cervical immobilization	192
devices, cervical collars, stair chairs, folding cots, or other	193
types of immobilization equipment determined by the board to be	194
unnecessary for mobile intensive care units.	195

A mobile intensive care unit is exempt from the emergency	196
medical technician staffing requirements of division (B) of	197
section 4765.43 of the Revised Code when it is staffed by at least	198
one physician or registered nurse and another person, designated	199
by a physician, who holds a valid license or certificate to	200
practice in a health care profession, and when at least one of the	201
persons staffing the mobile intensive care unit is a registered	202
nurse whose training meets or exceeds the training required for a	203
paramedic.	204

Section 2.  That existing sections 4765.07, 4765.43, and	205
4766.03 and section 4765.431 of the Revised Code are hereby	206
repealed.	207