This bill changes current ambulance staffing requirements for certain rural and small communities by allowing an ambulance service medical director to authorize a basic life-support ambulance serving these communities to be staffed by one EMT and one EMR driver. Under current law, this staffing arrangement in these communities requires a variance issued by the Emergency Medical Services Board.

Also under current law, after an initial emergency ambulance response in these communities and until the initial ambulance is again available, each subsequent basic life-support ambulance to respond to a call may be staffed by one EMT and one EMR driver without a variance from the board or authorization from an ambulance service medical director. This bill eliminates this provision.

This bill also increases the size of the communities in which these staffing requirement changes are permitted.