STATE OF
PARISH
OF
ORDINANCE NO.11-540
Introduced on February 14, 2011
Introduced by Randy Thomas
Public hearing
held on February 28, 2011
AN ORDINANCE REGULATING AMBULANCE SERVICES, EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES
AND ASPECTS ATTENDANT TO AMBULANCE OPERATION
The Washington Parish Government and the Sheriff of Washington Parish jointly declaring that it is essential to the health, safety and welfare of the Parish and its people that consistent high quality emergency medical care be provided and that any and all aspects of ambulance operation be provided within a medically acceptable response time, hereby present the following ordinance to accomplish this purpose;
WHEREAS, the Louisiana
Legislature under
AND WHEREAS, La. R.S. 33:4791.1 declares the policy of the State of Louisiana is to provide that local governing authorities may regulate privately operated ambulance services, the furnishing of emergency medical services, and any and all aspects attendant to ambulance operation;
AND WHEREAS, under La. R.S. 33:4791.1 the Louisiana Legislature has declared that local governing authorities may protect the public health, safety and welfare by licensing, controlling and regulating, by ordinance or resolution, privately operated ambulance services, the furnishing of emergency medical services, and any and all aspects attendant to ambulance operations within the jurisdiction of the local governing authority;
AND WHEREAS, under La. R.S. 33:4791.1 local governing authorities are empowered by the State of Louisiana: to regulate the business of providing ambulance service, including emergency medical services, within the jurisdiction of the local governing authority; to establish safety and insurance requirements, as well as any other requirements, to ensure safe, reliable and responsive ambulance service; to establish requirements for access by ambulance services for the provision of emergency medical services to the 9-1-1 or other emergency communications dispatch within the jurisdiction of the local governing authority;
BE IT ORDAINED, that privately operated ambulance services may enter into the business of providing ambulance service within the Parish of Washington as long as the ambulance service complies with all of the requirements of the State of Louisiana and any additional requirements that may be imposed in the future by the State of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, that ambulance services doing business in the Parish of Washington as of the effective date of this ordinance shall be allowed access for the provision of emergency medical services to the 9-1-1 or other emergency communications dispatch of the Parish of Washington subject to the following requirements and conditions:
1.
The ambulance service is in compliance with all
laws and regulatory provisions of the State of
2.
A
3. The ambulance service must submit to reviews, assessments, monitoring and/or inspections of equipment, facilities, vehicle maintenance records, insurance records, response time records, rollover call records and other matters deemed necessary by the Washington Parish Government for the health, safety and welfare of its citizens. The reviews, assessments, monitoring and/or inspections shall be by the Washington Parish Government or its’ designee. The expense of reviews, assessments, monitoring and/or inspections will be required to be paid by the ambulance service. The Washington Parish Government or it’s designee may establish fees to be assessed to ambulance services to cover these expenses. Inspections will occur annually, but ambulances and facilities are subject to unannounced “spot” inspections at the discretion of the Washington Parish Government or its’ designee. Response time and rollover records are to be submitted to Washington Parish Government or its’ designee on a quarterly basis but are subject to more frequent inspection.
4.
The ambulance service’s dispatch center must be
located in Washington Parish,
5.
The ambulance service’s medical director must be
affiliated with the
6. Each ambulance must contain a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit and a current Washington Parish Emergency Communication District (9-1-1) map.
7. The Washington Parish Government or its’ designee will establish the geographical areas to be assigned to the ambulance services or method of rotation of calls in its’ sole discretion.
Page 2 of
ORDINANCE No.11-540
8. Providers of this
service are required to respond to 9-1-1 calls for
assistance when dispatched to do so, if a
staffed equipped ambulance
is available by the provider; unless the crew
or patient safety issues are
present to make such response unsafe.
9. Other
requirements may be imposed in the future by the
Washington Parish Government and the designee
may
establish additional
requirements, regulations and guidelines to
implement the intent and purpose of this
ordinance, which
requirements,
regulations and guidelines may be established
by
resolution as authorized by LA R.S. 33:4791.1B.
10. The designee may be a division
of the Washington Parish
Government, an employee of the Washington
Parish
Government, or other entity
or individual. The initial designee
shall be the Washington
Parish Office of Homeland Security
and Emergency Preparedness.
The Washington Parish
Government may name future
designees by resolution or
authorize the President to name any future
designee.
11. Upon recommendation of the
designee, an ambulance service may
be removed from the 9-1-1 or other emergency
communications
dispatch by
resolution of the Washington Parish Council.
12. Ambulance services that commence doing business in
Washington Parish after the effective date of this
ordinance that
desire to be included in the provision of
emergency medical services
to 9-1-1 or
other emergency communications dispatch of the Parish
of Washington must first obtain a certificate
of need from
the Washington
Parish Council and maybe denied access if
the Washington
Parish Council does not deem there to be a need.
Any ambulance
service doing business in the Parish of Washington as
of the
effective date of this ordinance that effects not to participate
must thereafter
obtain a certificate of need.
BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, due to the Louisiana Legislature granting
the exclusive authority to regulate ambulance services to local governing
authorities, no other parish sub-agency or entity other than municipal
governments shall have the authority to contract with ambulance service
providers to be allowed access for the provision of emergency medical services
to the 9-1-1 or other emergency communications dispatch.
The above and foregoing having been submitted to a vote,
the vote thereupon resulted as follows:
YEAS:
NAYS:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN: __________
Page 3 of ORDINANCE No.11-540
The
ordinance was declared adopted on the _______ day of ________________, 2011.
By:
Aubrey Posey, Chairman
Delivered to the Parish President on the ___________ day of _________________, 2011.
By:
Richard N. Thomas, Jr., President
Returned to the Clerk of the Parish Council on the _________ day of _________________, 2011.
ATTEST:
Sharon Lyons, Clerk of the Parish Council
Page 4 of ORDINANCE No.11-540