§ 16-54. Definitions.

The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Advanced life support means advanced prehospital emergency medical care rendered by personnel certified at the EMT-Intermediate and EMT-Paramedic level and working under direct orders from physicians at a resource hospital.

Ambulance means any land transportation vehicle designed, constructed, reconstructed, maintained, equipped, or operated for or intended to be used for transportation of patients in need of care, operated as such, which is staffed with personnel qualified in accordance with the provisions of this article, and which meet the requirements and criteria for an ambulance as set forth in this article.

Applicant means any person, partnership, or corporation who makes application for an ambulance operator's, driver's, or attendant's license. If the applicant is a corporation or partnership, this definition shall include all officers or partners.

Attendant means any person who is responsible for the care of the patient transported by an ambulance.

Basic life support means noninvasive prehospital emergency medical care rendered by personnel certified at the EMT-basic level.

Certification sticker means a self-adhering certification sticker issued by the state department of health and hospitals affixed to the windshield of the ambulance.

Certified emergency medical technician, basic, means any person who has successfully completed a basic emergency medical technician training course approved by the department of transportation and the department of health and hospitals.

Certified emergency medical technician, intermediate, means any person who has successfully completed an emergency medical technician intermediate training course approved by the department of transportation, the department of health and hospitals, and the state board of medical examiners and is currently state certified by the state board of medical examiners. However, all or any part of the required training program may be waived by the department of health and hospitals if the applicant has documentation of an equivalent level of training and successfully completes the performance and written examinations required for certification.

Certified emergency medical technician, paramedic, means any person who has successfully completed an emergency medical technician paramedic training course approved by the department of transportation, the department of health and hospitals, and the state board of medical examiners, and is currently state certified by the state board of medical examiners. However, all or any part of the required training program may be waived by the department of health and hospitals if the applicant has documentation of an equivalent level of training and successfully completes the performance and written examinations required for certification.

District attorney means the district attorney for the First Judicial District of Louisiana or his designee.

Driver means every individual who operates or attempts to operate any ambulance as herein defined.

Driver's license means the document issued pursuant to this article authorizing a person to act as the driver of an ambulance responding to calls originating in this parish.

Emergency means any circumstance that calls for immediate action and in which the element of time in transporting the sick or injured for medical treatment is essential to the life or health of such person.

Emergency 911 system means that system of communications operated by the City of Shreveport and/or Parish of Caddo that receives and processes requests for assistance from citizens who access the system through a 911 telephone number.

First responder means a person possessing a current state certified first responder certificate issued by the state department of health and hospitals.

Medical control means the direct communication between a licensed physician and advanced life support personnel by two-way radio communications and/or telemetry.

Operator's license means the document issued pursuant to this article authorizing a person to provide ambulance service for response to calls originating in this parish.

Parish administrator means the parish administrator of Caddo Parish or his designee.

Patient means any individual who is sick, ill, injured or is otherwise incapacitated or in a helpless or infirmed condition.

Protocols means prehospital emergency medical procedures, fluid and drug therapy approved by the parish medical society and in accordance with R.S. 40:1234.

Public convenience and necessity means that there exists a current and permanent need for additional ambulance service in the parish and the existing ambulance operators currently holding valid permits to operate within the parish after being notified by the parish commission of such need, fail to provide the additional service determined necessary.

Vehicle license means the document issued pursuant to this article authorizing a vehicle to be operated as an ambulance and to respond to calls originating in this parish.

(Code 1985, § 23-1; Ord. No. 2966, § 1, 6-23-1993)