N.J. Admin. Code § 8:40-6.15

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 19, October 7, 2024

Section 8:40-6.15 - Additional requirements for BLS ambulance services providing emergency response

(a) Each BLS ambulance service that provides emergency response shall utilize the services of a medical director.

1. The medical director shall be a physician who is licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners to practice medicine.

2. The medical director shall be responsible for providing medical consultation (as needed), as well as medical quality assurance oversight regarding the administration of BLS services by the provider's crewmembers.

i. Medical quality assurance oversight shall include, but is not limited to, review of utilization of the AED, as well as interpretation of treatment protocols and documentation standards.

(b) Each BLS ambulance utilized to provide emergency response shall carry the following equipment on board at all times:

1. An AED;

2. Equipment that allows crewmembers to access entrapped patients of motor vehicle collisions in the event that the agency responsible for vehicle extrication for the jurisdiction has not arrived on the scene. At a minimum, this shall include:

i. A spring-loaded center punch;

ii. One each standard size (that is, approximately six inches) flathead and Phillips-type screwdriver;

iii. A prying lever or "crow bar";

iv. An automotive safety belt cutter; and

v. At least two protective multi-use jackets that are both fire and tear resistant, as well as two sets of gloves, head and eye protection that, at a minimum, meet the requirements set forth at 29 C.F.R. 1910.132 et seq. BLS ambulance services that provide emergency response only to long-term care facilities shall be exempt from this requirement;

3. At least five nasopharyngeal airways in assorted sizes, and a water-soluble lubricant for utilization with the airways; and

4. At least one spotlight, which may be handheld.

(c) A BLS ambulance service that provides emergency response that is not also the provider of vehicle extrication services in the municipal jurisdiction that it serves shall identify the provider of extrication services in its standard operating procedures (SOP) manual, and shall develop policies to adequately permit the safe interaction of the crewmembers and the other agencies at the scene of an emergency.

(d) A BLS ambulance service providing regular or foreseeable emergency response to a jurisdiction shall provide the Department with written notification of which jurisdictions are to be serviced at least seven calendar days prior to the starting date of service.

(e) A BLS ambulance service providing emergency response shall:

1. Maintain at least one additional back-up BLS ambulance, which can be utilized to provide emergency response;

2. Develop a plan for continuous quality assurance of the services that it provides. This plan shall include quality indicators such as, but not limited to, dispatching of vehicles, safe driving, quality of medical care provided, documentation, utilization of advanced life support care, triage of patients and other areas the provider identifies as necessary. This plan shall include an identified person responsible for the quality assurance, the identification of outside resources (if necessary), and provision for feedback to the crewmembers;

3. File a report with the Department outlining all emergency response activities for that quarter. These quarterly reports shall be made on a form and in the manner specified by the Department (chapter Appendix D, incorporated herein by reference) and shall be delivered to OEMS on or before the due date. The reporting periods and due dates are as follows:

Period	Due
January 1 through March 31	April 30
April 1 through June 30	July 31
July 1 through September 30	October 31
October 1 through December 31	January 31

i. The Department shall keep the data on file and shall generate a yearly report reflecting the activities of the providers. Yearly reports shall be available at OEMS for public inspection.

(f) A BLS ambulance service providing emergency response shall not:

1. Refuse or fail to respond to an emergency call or refuse or fail to provide emergency treatment and/or transportation to any person because of that person's race, sex, creed, national origin, sexual preference, age, disability, medical condition or ability to pay; or

2. Discontinue services without sending written notification to the Department at least 60 calendar days prior to the date that services will be discontinued.

N.J. Admin. Code § 8:40-6.15