Florida Senate - 2009 CS for SB 948
By the Committee on Health Regulation; and Senator Jones
588-02380-09 2009948c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to emergency medical services;
3 amending s. 401.2701, F.S.; revising requirements for
4 the field internship experience in paramedic programs;
5 authorizing the Department of Health to adopt rules;
6 amending s. 401.281, F.S.; revising the documented
7 requirements for a driver of an emergency vehicle;
8 providing an effective date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section
13 401.2701, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
14 401.2701 Emergency medical services training programs.—
15 (1) Any private or public institution in Florida desiring
16 to conduct an approved program for the education of emergency
17 medical technicians and paramedics shall:
18 (b) Receive a scheduled site visit from the department to
19 the applicant’s institution. Such site visit shall be conducted
20 within 30 days after notification to the institution that the
21 application was accepted. During the site visit, the department
22 must determine the applicant’s compliance with the following
23 criteria:
24 1. Emergency medical technician programs must be a minimum
25 of 110 hours, with at least 20 hours of supervised clinical
26 supervision, including 10 hours in a hospital emergency
27 department.
28 2. Paramedic programs must be available only to Florida
29 certified emergency medical technicians or an emergency medical
30 technician applicant who will obtain Florida certification prior
31 to completion of phase one of the paramedic program. Paramedic
32 programs must be a minimum of 700 hours of didactic and skills
33 practice components, with the skills laboratory student-to
34 instructor ratio not exceeding six to one. Paramedic programs
35 must provide a field internship experience aboard an advanced
36 life support permitted ambulance. However, a portion of the
37 field internship experience may be satisfied aboard an advanced
38 life support permitted vehicle other than an ambulance as
39 determined by rule of the department.
40 Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 401.281, Florida
41 Statutes, is amended to read:
42 401.281 Drivers.—
43 (1) Each licensee is responsible for assuring that its
44 vehicles are driven only by trained, experienced, and otherwise
45 qualified personnel. The licensee must, at a minimum, document
46 that each of its drivers:
47 (a) Is at least 18 years of age;
48 (b) Certifies under oath that he or she is not addicted to
49 alcohol or any controlled substance;
50 (c) Certifies under oath that he or she is free from any
51 physical or mental defect or disease that might impair his or
52 her ability to drive an ambulance;
53 (d) Upon initial designation as a driver, has not, within
54 the past 3 years, been convicted of reckless driving or driving
55 under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances and has
56 not had a driver’s license suspended under the point system
57 provided for in chapter 322;
58 (e) Possesses a valid driver’s license issued under chapter
59 322, is trained in the safe operation of emergency vehicles, and
60 has completed an emergency vehicle operator’s course or the
61 reasonable equivalent as approved by the department; however,
62 this paragraph applies only to a driver of a land vehicle;
63 (f) Possesses a valid American Red Cross or National Safety
64 Council standard first aid course card or its equivalent; and
65 (g) Possesses a valid American Red Cross or American Heart
66 Association cardiopulmonary resuscitation card.
67 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.