Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 6, September 16, 2024
(a) A Medical Ambulance/Evacuation bus is a
multiple passenger vehicle configured and medically equipped for emergency and
non-emergency transport of at least three stretcher bound patients with
traumatic or medical conditions.
(b) To be permitted as a Medical
Ambulance/Evacuation Bus, a vehicle shall have:
(1) a non-light penetrating sliding curtain
installed behind the driver from floor-to-ceiling and from side-to-side to keep
all light from the patient compartment from reaching the driver's area during
vehicle operation at night;
(2)
patient care equipment and supplies as defined in the "North Carolina College
of Emergency Physicians: Standards for Medical Oversight and Data Collection."
The equipment and supplies shall be clean, in working order, and secured in the
vehicle;
(3) five-pound fire
extinguishers mounted in a quick release bracket located inside the patient
compartment at the front and rear of the vehicle that are either a dry chemical
or all-purpose type and have pressure gauges;
(4) monitor alarms installed inside the
patient compartment at the front and rear of the vehicle to warn of unsafe
buildup of carbon monoxide;
(5) the
name of the EMS provider permanently displayed on each side of the
vehicle;
(6) reflective tape
affixed to the vehicle such that there is reflectivity on all sides of the
vehicle;
(7) emergency warning
lights and audible warning devices mounted on the vehicle as required by G.S.
20-125. All warning devices shall function properly;
(8) no structural or functional defects that
may adversely affect the patient, the EMS personnel, or the safe operation of
the vehicle;
(9) an operational
two-way radio that:
(A) is mounted to the
ambulance and installed for safe operation and controlled by the ambulance
driver;
(B) has the range, radio
frequencies, and capabilities to establish and maintain two-way voice radio
communication from within the defined service area of the EMS System to the
emergency communications center or PSAP designated to direct or dispatch the
deployment of the ambulance;
(C) is
capable of establishing two-way voice radio communication from within the
defined service area to the emergency department of the hospital(s) where
patients are routinely transported and to facilities that provide on-line
medical direction to EMS personnel;
(D) is equipped with a radio control device
in the patient compartment capable of operation by the patient attendant to
receive on-line medical direction; and
(E) is licensed or authorized by the
FCC;
(10) permanently
installed heating and air conditioning systems; and
(11) a copy of the EMS System patient care
treatment protocols.
(c)
A Medical Ambulance/Evacuation Bus shall not use a radiotelephone device such
as a cellular telephone as the only source of two-way radio voice
communication.
(d) Communication
instruments or devices such as data radio, facsimile, computer, or telemetry
radio shall be in addition to the mission dedicated dispatch radio and shall
function independently from the mission dedicated radio.
(e) The EMS System medical director shall
designate the combination of medical equipment as required in Subparagraph
(b)(2) of this Rule that is carried on a mission based on anticipated patient
care needs.
(f) The ambulance
permit for this vehicle shall remain in effect for two years unless any of the
following occurs:
(1) the Department imposes
an administrative sanction which specifies permit expiration;
(2) the EMS Provider closes or goes out of
business;
(3) the EMS Provider
changes name or ownership; or
(4)
failure to comply with the applicable Paragraphs of this Rule.
