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AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND ORDINANCE NO. 1365 KNOWN AS THE AMBULANCE ORDINANCE BY SETTING STANDARDS FOR PERSONS OR FIRMS TO OPERATE EMERGENCY AND NON-EMERGENCY TRANSPORT SERVICES WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF JONESBORO, ARKANSAS PERSONS OR FIRMS TO OPERATE EMERGENCY AND NON-EMERGENCY TRANSPORT SERVICES WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF JONESBORO, ARKANSAS.
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WHEREAS, in order to protect the citizens of the City of Jonesboro, it is necessary to establish certain guidelines for the operation of emergency and non-emergency transport services within the city; and
WHEREAS, Ordinance No. 1365, known as the ambulance ordinance should be amended as hereinafter set out.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Jonesboro, Arkansas, that
SECTION 1: No person or firm shall furnish, operate, maintain, conduct, advertise or in any way engage in or profess to engage in the business of providing emergency or non-emergency transport of patients upon the streets and highways of the City of Jonesboro unless that person or firm shall provide a standard of service equal to the specific standards of paramedic as defined by the Rules and Regulations pertaining to Emergency Medical Services as promulgated by the Arkansas State Board of Health, Little Rock, Arkansas.
SECTION 2: No person or firm shall furnish, operate, maintain, conduct, advertise or in any way engage in or profess to engage in the business of providing emergency or non-emergency transport of patients upon the streets and highways of the City of Jonesboro unless that person or firm shall provide a standard of service equal to those set out in the following guidelines:
(A) An ambulance service must operate four (4) paramedic level ambulances between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
(B) An ambulance service must operate two (2) paramedic level ambulances between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., Monday through Friday, and 24 hours a day on Saturday and Sunday;
(C) An ambulance service must have on (1) paramedic and one (1) EMT-A on duty per operational paramedic level ambulance;
(D) An ambulance service must have one (1) dispatcher on duty at the service base at all times;
(E) An ambulance service must have dispatchers who are certified dispatchers or EMT-A certified or higher;
(F) An ambulance service must have all ambulances stationed at the ambulance base location shown on he privilege license, with the exception of company business, crew meal breaks, or service repairs;
(G) An ambulance service must notify the City's 911 Coordinator of the number of units available to respond in case of disaster situations. Any changes in the number of units available for such disaster situations response must be reported to the 911 Coordinator within 24 hours of such changes;
(H) An ambulance service must furnish to the City proof of $1,000,000 professional liability insurance coverage;
(I) An ambulance service must furnish to the City proof of $1,000,000 liability insurance coverage for vehicles;
(J) An ambulance service providing services in an emergency capacity or non-emergency capacity must be licensed by the ADOH at a paramedic level;
(K) An ambulance service providing services in an emergency capacity must employ personnel certified by the ADOH at a paramedic, EMT-I, or EMT-A level of certification;
(L) An ambulance service must provide all City 911, fire, police, and other stand-by calls at no charge to the City. Normal and customary rates may be charged to any patient transported;
(M) An ambulance service must notify the 911 operator or another ambulance service to respond within two (2) minutes of any 911 call received, in the event such ambulance service is unable to perform such 911 emergency call;
(N) Any new ambulance service requesting to operate in the City of Jonesboro after the passage of this ordinance must be in operation for one (1) year prior to being place on 911 emergency call rotation in order to give the new service adequate time to learn the location of streets and landmarks in the City of Jonesboro;
(O) An ambulance service must have on-hand extrication equipment such as, Jaws of Life, cutter, and spreader, etc., that are compatible with the City's extrication equipment; Ambulance services that are operating in the City of Jonesboro at the time of passage of this ordinance shall have one (1) year in which to obtain the extricatication equipment.
SECTION 3: Any ambulance service meeting all the criteria under Section 2 shall be entitled, at the service's option, to participate in the City of Jonesboro's 911 service fifteen (15) days after the service certifies to the City that it has complied with this ordinance unless the City notifies the service of a specific defect in personnel, equipment, or services, within that fifteen (15) day period.
SECTION 4: The City Council finds that an emergency exists and this Ordinance being necessary for the preservation of the public health, welfare and safety, it shall take effect from and after its passage and approval.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 18th day of November, 1996.