Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) EMS
personnel and applicants for EMS certification or licensure may request an
exemption to rules of this chapter by:
(1)
submitting an exemption request application form with a nonrefundable fee of
$30, if applicable, in addition to any other applicable applications and fees
required by this chapter;
(2)
providing a letter of explanation and other documented evidence which
establishes that patient care will not be diminished, or the health and safety
of the public affected, if the exemption is approved;
(3) providing a signed and dated written
statement of support from the medical director of the licensed emergency
medical services (EMS) provider or registered first responder organization with
whom the applicant is affiliated or will be affiliated; and
(4) providing a written plan under which the
applicable requirement will be met as soon as possible.
(b) In determining whether to grant the
exemption, the department shall take into consideration the best interests of
the people in a rural area who are served by the licensed EMS provider or
registered first responder organization with whom the applicant is affiliated
or will be affiliated, if approved. For the purposes of this section, a rural
area is defined to be:
(1) a county of 50,000
or less; or
(2) a sparsely
populated area in a county with a population of more than 50,000, as determined
by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy designation (of rural areas within
metropolitan areas).
(c)
If the request is approved, an exemption may be granted temporarily. The
applicant will be notified by the department, in writing, and the notification
shall include:
(1) the date the exemption
begins and expires;
(2) an explicit
statement which specifically describes the rule requirements exempted and any
related conditions which must be met for the exemption to apply or continue to
apply.
(d) This
exemption process may be utilized to temporarily allow a person in a rural
area, described in subsection (b)(1) and (2) of this section, to practice at a
higher level prior to receiving the higher level of certification.
(1) To apply to receive this allowance for up
to two months after course completion, the applicant must:
(A) meet the requirements of subsection
(a)(1)-(4) of this section;
(B) be
currently certified by the department as an ECA, EMT, or AEMT; and
(C) submit a course completion certificate
for the higher level of training.
(2) If granted through written approval from
the department, the candidate may practice at the higher level only if
accompanied by an individual who is certified or licensed by the department at
the same or a higher level of certification or licensure.
(3) This allowance shall be automatically and
immediately forfeited upon notification of the candidate's failure of the
National Registry written or practical examination.
