ENROLLED
       2009 Legislature                                   CS for SB 948
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                                              2009948er
    1  
    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.