Action | Amend current regulations to include new regulations as a result of legislative changes and changes in the practice of EMS. |
Stage | Final |
Comment Period | Ended on 10/9/2012 |
One thing I find missing (unless I overlooked it) from the existing and proposed regulations is the provision of care, specifically ALS care, from an ALS staffed and manned "zone car" when no ambulance is on scene, or even en route. The regulations address provision of care when an ambulance is not fully staffed, but fail to recognize that an independent ALS provider may be in the exact same situation where a "second attendant" may not be routinely present. In my current assignment, a rural County with four career/volunteer EMS agencies, I staff the "zone car" as a single ALS provider for part of my shift, and respond to meet a volunteer staffed ambulance IF THEY RESPOND. If they do not respond, then my partner from my Medic responds the Medic to meet me. This system design occasionally places the lone ALS provider on scene, possibly for an extended amount of time, acting without any EMS support personnel, yet not acting as defined in the regulations.