Existing law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, governs local emergency medical services (EMS) systems, authorizes each county to develop an EMS program and designate a local EMS agency, and requires the Emergency Medical Services Authority to receive plans for the implementation of EMS systems from local EMS agencies, as specified. Existing law requires a county to enter into a written agreement with a city or fire district that contracted for or provided prehospital EMS as of June 1, 1980. Existing law requires, until that written agreement is reached, prehospital EMS to be continued at not less than the existing level and the administration of prehospital EMS by cities and fire districts contracting for or providing those services as of June 1, 1980, to be retained by those cities and fire districts, as specified.

This bill would authorize a county board of supervisors or the governing body of an entity or a joint powers agency designated as the local EMS agency by the board of supervisors to provide ambulance services to persons located within the county’s jurisdiction by specified means, including assigning the duty of providing ambulance services to residents of the county to an existing county department and providing the department with the necessary staffing, vehicles, and equipment to provide ambulance services.

The bill would require a county board of supervisors or a local EMS agency to adopt a written policy, including specified requirements, for an emergency ambulance services provider in order to enter into a contract with a provider for emergency ambulance services and would include required provisions for those contracts.

The bill would make related findings and declarations.