N.Y. General Municipal Law § 122-b: General ambulance services

§ 122-b. General ambulance services. 1. Any county, city, town or

village, acting individually or jointly, may provide an emergency

medical service, a general ambulance service or a combination of such

services for the purpose of providing prehospital emergency medical

treatment or transporting sick or injured persons found within the

boundaries of the municipality or the municipalities acting jointly to a

hospital, clinic, sanatorium or other place for treatment of such

illness or injury, and for that purpose may:

(a) Acquire by gift or purchase one or more motor vehicles suitable

for such purpose and supply and equip the same with such materials and

facilities as it may consider necessary for prehospital emergency

treatment, and may operate, maintain, repair and replace such vehicles

and such supplies and equipment;

(b) Contract with one or more individuals, municipal corporations,

associations, or other organizations, having sufficient trained and

experienced personnel, for operation, maintenance and repair of such

emergency medical service or ambulance vehicles and for the furnishing

of prehospital emergency treatment;

(c) Contract with one or more individuals, municipal corporations,

associations, or other organizations to supply, staff and equip

emergency medical service or ambulance vehicles suitable for such

purposes and operate such vehicles for the furnishing of prehospital

emergency treatment;

(d) Employ any combination of the methods authorized in paragraph (a),

(b) or (c);

* (e) A contract may be entered into pursuant to the provisions of

this section for the services of an emergency rescue and first aid squad

of a fire department or fire company which is subject to the provisions

of section two hundred nine-b of this chapter;

* NB Effective until April 9, 2031

*(e) No contract shall be entered into pursuant to the provisions of

this section for the services of an emergency rescue and first aid squad

of a fire department or fire company which is subject to the provisions

of section two hundred nine-b of the general municipal law;

* NB Effective April 9, 2031

(f) Consider prehospital emergency treatment as that care provided by

certified emergency medical technicians or certified advanced emergency

medical technicians certified pursuant to the provisions of article

thirty of the public health law.

1-a. As used in this section:

(a) "Emergency medical technician" means an individual who meets the

minimum requirements established by regulations pursuant to section

three thousand two of the public health law and who is responsible for

administration or supervision of initial emergency medical assistance

and handling and transportation of sick, disabled or injured persons.

(b) "Advanced emergency medical technician" means an emergency medical

technician who has satisfactorily completed an advanced course of

training approved by the state council under regulations pursuant to

section three thousand two of the public health law.

2. Such municipality shall formulate rules and regulations relating to

the use of such apparatus and equipment in the provision of emergency

medical services or ambulance service and may fix a schedule of fees or

charges to be paid by persons requesting the use of such facilities.

Such municipalities may provide for the collection of such fees and

charges or may formulate rules and regulations for the collection

thereof by the individuals, municipal corporations, associations, or

other organizations furnishing service under contract as provided in

paragraph (c) of subdivision one of this section.

3. Such municipality may purchase or provide insurance indemnifying

against liability for the negligent operation of such emergency medical

service or ambulance service and the negligent use of other equipment or

supplies incidental to the furnishing of such emergency medical service

or ambulance service.

4. Such municipality may provide for the administration and

coordination of such emergency medical service or ambulance service

including but not limited to operation of an emergency medical

communications system and medical control.

5. Fire districts, which, as part of a fire protection contract, may

provide general ambulance and/or emergency ambulance service pursuant to

section two hundred nine-b of this chapter and article thirty of the

public health law where a town or village has not designated itself as

the primary provider of or otherwise contracted for an emergency

ambulance, a general ambulance service, or a combination of such service

acting individually or jointly, may contract with one or more

individuals, municipal corporations, or other organizations having

sufficient trained personnel, vehicles or combination of personnel and

vehicles suitable to provide prehospital emergency treatment, for the

furnishing of supplemental personnel, equipment or service to cover

instances or periods of time when its service may not be readily

available.

6. (a) Each county, in coordination with their regional emergency

medical services council, shall convene meetings and a planning process

with cities, towns, and villages within their jurisdiction for the

purpose of developing and maintaining a comprehensive county emergency

medical system plan that shall describe how coordinated and reliable

emergency medical services within the county would be provided for all

residents within the county. Such process shall be convened by the

county emergency medical system coordinator, designee of the county

office of emergency management, or other designee selected by the

county. The planning process, and resulting comprehensive county

emergency medical system plan, shall include assessment of the existing

level of emergency medical services in each area of the county, a plan

to increase or provide service where additional service is needed, a

determination as to what organizational structure will be utilized to

provide service in each area of the county, and cost estimates to

provide service in areas requiring service levels greater than currently

available. The goal of this process is to provide a framework to assist

state and local decision makers in achieving the objective of ensuring

that reliable emergency medical services and ambulance services are made

available to every person in the state.

(b) In developing the comprehensive county emergency medical system

plan, each county, city, town, and village shall work together to

specify which entity or entities, and which organizational structure

will be utilized for providing emergency medical services and how costs

for providing such services will be assigned. Such plan may utilize

municipal, intermunicipal, not-for-profit or for-profit contract

coverage, special district, or regional agreements for providing service

in each area of the county. The plan shall also identify the current

emergency medical services provider or providers responsible for

requests for emergency medical services within each part of the county,

or note any given area that does not have an emergency medical services

provider responsible for requests for emergency medical services.

(c) Each plan shall detail any specific local government actions, such

as any intermunicipal agreements or special district creations, that may

be necessary for the implementation of such plan.

(d) Each county shall complete their comprehensive county emergency

medical system plan and submit it electronically to the department of

health, their respective regional emergency medical services council,

and the state emergency medical services council for review, and comment

within six months of the effective date of this section.