Section 1200-12-01-.11 - AMBULANCE SERVICE OPERATIONS AND PROCEDURESTo establish operating standards for ambulances and emergency medical services.
(1) Each service provider shall assure that safety belts are maintained in good working condition. and that all ambulance personnel., patients. and passengers utilize seat restraints at all times the vehicle is in motion, except as necessary to attend a patient within the patient compartment. (a) All vehicle operators, crew personnel, or passengers within the driver's compartment or forward passenger seats shall be secured by a device in compliance with appropriate federal motor vehicle safety standards ( 49 C.F.R. 571) for restraints, anchorages and mechanisms.(b) Children under four years of age shall be transported in the front passenger compartment only when the child is appropriately secured in a child passenger restraint system, meeting state and federal motor vehicle safety standards. (T.C.A. § 55-9-214)(c) Patients shall be secured to stretchers, except as may be necessary to facilitate treatment.(2) The Division of Emergency Medical Services may deny issuance or renewal of licenses or permits for any of the following: (a) Incomplete or incorrect information on applications for licenses or permits.(b) Unsatisfactory inspections or safety deficiencies on more than 25% of the vehicles operated by a service.(c) Failure to list and record all personnel employed or serving as vehicle operators or emergency care personnel and to record personnel serving on each call or request.(d) Failure to furnish or maintain accurate verification of insurance coverage.(3) Each ambulance service shall submit an annual report of its operations and may include financial information for statistical compilation. Such information shall be submitted in the manner and upon such forms as may be provided for such purposes by the Division of Emergency Medical Services.(4) Ambulance Dispatch Procedures. Ambulance services classified above minimum standards shall process all emergency calls through a designated dispatcher. Whether employed by the service or obtained by cooperative agreement, dispatchers of emergency medical services shall conform to the following standards:
(a) From a listing of staffed ambulances, the dispatcher will assign an available unit within two minutes of receipt of an emergency call. or refer the call by mutual aid agreement, except as provided under T.C.A. § 68-39-516.(c) Class A - Advanced Life Support Services shall respond first response units to any priority call, including automobile accidents or cardio-respiratory emergencies, where unit arrival can be anticipated to exceed eight minutes, and where such units are organized and can demonstrate capabilities to render more rapid assistance.(5) Smoking or any other use of a tobacco product within ten (10) feet of an ambulance is prohibited.Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-12-01-.11
Original rule filed November 30, 1984; effective February 12, 1985. Amendment filed April 8, 1987; effective May 23, 1987. Amendment filed June 30, 1987; effective August 14, 1987. Amendment filed June 28, 1988; effective August 12, 1988. Amendment filed May 1, 1992; effective June 15, 1992. Amendment filed June 5, 1998; effective August 19, 1998. Amendment filed September 22, 1998; effective December 6, 1998. Amendment filed October 15, 2002; effective December 29, 2002. Amendment filed May 26, 2010; effective August 24, 2010.Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-5-201, 4-5-202, 68-39-501, 68-39-504, 68-39-505, 68-39-508, 68-39-509, 68-140-504, 68-140-505, 68-140-507, 68-140-509, and 68-140-521.