§ 1027.33. Basic life support ambulance service.
(a) Purpose. An EMS agency that operates a BLS ambulance service employs one or more BLS ambulances staffed by an ambulance crew capable of providing medical assessment, observation, triage, monitoring, treatment and transportation of patients who require EMS at or below the skill level of an EMT.
(b) Operating at the AEMT level. An EMS agency that chooses to operate a BLS ambulance service that provides EMS at the AEMT level shall apply for Department approval to operate in that manner through its application for a license as an EMS agency or an application to amend its EMS agency license. It shall satisfy the requirements under § 1027.34 (relating to intermediate advanced life support ambulance service).
(c) Staffing.
(1) The minimum staffing for a BLS ambulance crew when responding to a call to provide EMS and transporting a patient is an EMS provider at or above the EMR level, a second EMS provider at or above the EMT level and an EMSVO, except that only a two-person ambulance crew is required if the EMSVO is also one of the EMS providers and an EMS provider above the EMR level is available to attend to the patient during patient transport. Until April 11, 2016, an ambulance attendant who has not yet secured certification as an EMR may substitute for an EMR.
(2) Responding ambulance crew members may arrive at the scene separately, but the ambulance shall be fully staffed at or above the required minimum staffing level before transporting a patient.
(d) Providing EMS when dispatched with a higher level EMS vehicle crew. If a BLS ambulance and a higher level EMS vehicle crew are dispatched to provide EMS for a patient, the following shall apply:
(1) BLS ambulance crew members shall begin providing EMS to the patient at their skill levels, including transportation of the patient to a receiving facility if the ambulance crew determines transport is needed, until higher level EMS is afforded by the arrival of a higher level EMS provider.
(2) Upon the arrival of a higher level EMS vehicle crew, the BLS ambulance shall continue transporting the patient or release the patient to be transported by the higher level EMS vehicle crew, consistent with the Statewide EMS protocols, as directed by the EMS provider exercising primary responsibility for the patient.
(3) The BLS ambulance crew shall reassume primary responsibility for the patient if that responsibility is relinquished back to that ambulance crew by the EMS provider of the higher level EMS vehicle crew who had assumed primary responsibility for the patient.
(4) A BLS ambulance and its ambulance crew may transport from a receiving facility a patient who requires EMS above the skill level at which the ambulance is operating, if the sending or a receiving facility provides a registered nurse, physician assistant or physician to supplement the ambulance crew, that person brings on board the ambulance equipment and supplies to provide the patient with EMS above the EMS level at which the BLS ambulance is operating to attend to the EMS needs of the patient during the transport, and that person attends to the patient during the patient transport.
(e) Application. For purposes of this section, the term ‘‘higher level EMS vehicle crew’’ means the EMS vehicle crew of an intermediate ALS ambulance, intermediate ALS squad vehicle, ALS ambulance, ALS squad vehicle or air ambulance.
Source The provisions of this § 1027.33 adopted October 11, 2013, effective April 10, 2014, 43 Pa.B. 6093.
Cross References This section cited in 28 Pa. Code § 1027.34 (relating to intermediate advanced life support ambulance service); 28 Pa. Code § 1027.35 (relating to advanced life support ambulance service); and 28 Pa. Code § 1027.42 (relating to water ambulance service).
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