Pennsylvania § 8133 - Basic life support ambulances.

§ 8133. Basic life support ambulances.

(a) Purpose.--A BLS ambulance crew provides medical assessment, triage, monitoring, treatment, transportation and observation of patients who require EMS at or below the skill level of an advanced EMT and also transports patients who require EMS above the skill level of an advanced EMT when an EMS provider above the level of an advanced EMT rendezvous with the BLS ambulance before or during transport of the patient and accompanies the patient during the transport after arrival.

(b) Staffing requirements.--

(1) Except as provided under paragraph (2) or subsection (c)(1), minimum staffing for a BLS ambulance when responding to a call to provide EMS is an ambulance attendant, EMR or EMT, a second EMS provider at or above the EMT level and an EMS vehicle operator, except that only the two EMS providers need to respond if one of them is also the EMS vehicle operator. When present, an EMS provider above the EMR level must attend to the patient at the scene and during patient transportation.

(2) Two years after the effective date of this section, the minimum staffing for a BLS ambulance when responding to a call to provide EMS is an EMS provider at or above the EMR level, an EMS provider at or above the EMT level and an EMS vehicle operator, except that only two EMS providers need to respond if one of them is also the EMS vehicle operator. When present, an EMS provider above the EMR level must attend to the patient at the scene and during patient transportation.

(3) If dispatched to provide EMS for a patient who requires EMS above the skill level of an advanced EMT, the BLS ambulance shall respond as set forth in this subsection. If the BLS ambulance crew members arrive at the scene before a higher-level EMS provider of an ALS ambulance or ALS squad vehicle, the BLS crew members shall provide EMS to the patient at their skill level, including transportation of the patient to a receiving facility if needed, until higher-level EMS is afforded by the arrival of a higher-level EMS provider, after which the BLS ambulance crew shall relinquish primary responsibility for the patient to the higher-level EMS provider.

(4) When transporting from a sending hospital a patient who requires EMS above the skill level of an advanced EMT, if a registered nurse, physician assistant or physician from the sending or receiving hospital joins the ambulance crew, brings on board the ambulance all equipment and supplies to provide the patient with reasonably anticipated EMS above the skill level of an advanced EMT and attends to the patient during the patient transportation, the minimum staffing requirements for the BLS ambulance are as set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2).

(c) Exceptions.--

(1) The minimum staffing requirements at the time of transport for a BLS ambulance to provide EMS is an EMS vehicle operator and an EMS provider at or above the level of an EMT. When present, an EMS provider at or above the level of an EMT shall attend to the patient at the scene and during patient transportation.

(2) This subsection shall expire April 29, 2027.

(Apr. 29, 2020, P.L.118, No.17, eff. 60 days; July 11, 2022, P.L.760, No.72, eff. 60 days)

2022 Amendment. Act 72 amended subsecs. (b)(1) and (c).

Effective Date. Section 9(1) of Act 37 of 2009 provided that section 8133 shall take effect 180 days after the publication of the notice in section 7. The notice was published October 12, 2013, at 43 Pa.B. 6093.

Cross References. Section 8133 is referred to in section 8129 of this title.