The Law on Emergency Medical Responders, You Decide

 Here's the Law on Emergency Medical Responders, you decide what the law says...

 

AS I read the law it’s pretty clear, EMR’s Emergency Medical Responders can assist an EMT or paramedic and drive an ambulance in rural areas as long as their primary responsibility is the driving of an ambulance.

 

 I’m told over and over that we can’t use EMR’s on the ambulance that we have to have a paramedic and an EMT on the ambulance. Not True

 

We could split the POC crew with two EMR’s and double our transport capability reducing response times and improving patient care.

 

ARS 36-2201 says "Ambulance Attendant" means any of the following:

A - An EMT, an advanced EMT, an EMT I-99 or a paramedic whose primary responsibility is the care of patients in an ambulance and who meets the standards and criteria adopted pursuant to section 36-2204.

 

B - An EMR emergency medical responder who is employed by an ambulance service operating under section 36-2202 and whose primary responsibility is the driving of an ambulance.

 

ARS 36-2202 - Duties of the director; qualifications of medical director

J. paragraph 5 of this section shall require that ambulance services serving a rural or wilderness certificate of necessity area with a population of less than ten thousand persons according to the most recent United States decennial census have at least one ambulance attendant as defined in section 36-2201, paragraph 6, subdivision A and one ambulance attendant as defined in section 36-2201, paragraph 6, subdivision B

LAWS

36-2201 Definitions

In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

5. "Ambulance" means any publicly or privately owned surface, water or air vehicle, including a helicopter, that contains a stretcher and necessary medical equipment and supplies pursuant to section 36-2202 and that is especially designed and constructed or modified and equipped to be used, maintained or operated primarily for the transportation of individuals who are sick, injured or wounded or who require medical monitoring or aid. Ambulance does not include a surface vehicle that is owned and operated by a private sole proprietor, partnership, private corporation or municipal corporation for the emergency transportation and in-transit care of its employees or a vehicle that is operated to accommodate an incapacitated person or person with a disability who does not require medical monitoring, care or treatment during transport and that is not advertised as having medical equipment and supplies or ambulance attendants.

6. "Ambulance attendant" means any of the following:

(a) An emergency medical technician, an advanced emergency medical technician, an emergency medical technician I-99 or a paramedic whose primary responsibility is the care of patients in an ambulance and who meets the standards and criteria adopted pursuant to section 36-2204.

(b) An emergency medical responder who is employed by an ambulance service operating under section 36-2202 and whose primary responsibility is the driving of an ambulance.

8. "Basic life support" means the level of assessment and care identified in the scope of practice approved by the director for the emergency medical responder and emergency medical technician.

13. "Department" means the department of health services.

14. "Director" means the director of the department of health services.

15. "Emergency medical care technician" means an individual who has been certified by the department as an emergency medical technician, an advanced emergency medical technician, an emergency medical technician I-99 or a paramedic.

16. "Emergency medical responder" as an ambulance attendant means a person who has been trained in an emergency medical responder program certified by the director or in an equivalent training program and who is certified by the director to render services pursuant to section 36-2205.

17. "Emergency medical responder" as an ambulance attendant means a person who has been trained in an emergency medical responder  program certified by the director or in an equivalent training program and who is certified by the director to render services pursuant to section 36-2205.

18. "Emergency medical services provider" means any governmental entity, quasi-governmental entity or corporation whether public or private that renders emergency medical services in this state.

23. "National certification organization" means a national organization that tests and certifies the ability of an emergency medical care technician and whose tests are based on national education standards.