Emergency Medical Services in Georgia are required to have personnel available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Emergency medical services, or EMS, in the state of Georgia, are regulated by the Georgia Department of Community Health. The EMS Section of the department is responsible for licensing and re-licensing ambulance services, emergency medical technicians, and medical first responders. The EMS section must also provide an integrated EMS Information System, to help with planning for EMS services at the local, regional, and state levels.
Emergency Medical Services Advisory Councils
The Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council, or EMSAC, is established in Georgia by statute 290-5-30-.03. EMSAC's job is to advise the Georgia Department of Human Resources in matters involving the emergency medical services system in the state. EMSAC is obliged to adopt bylaws, including the creation of committees and their responsibilities, the frequency of meetings and the recording of minutes. Regional Emergency Medical Services Councils are responsible for developing emergency medical services communications plans, recommend the designation of facilities as trauma center, and recommend an ambulance zoning plan. The Emergency Medical Services Medical Directors Advisory Council, or EMSMDAC, must consist of physicians, and is responsible for advising on matters of medical training, reviewing Emergency Medical Services procedures with regard to patient care, and act as a point of liaison between medical facilities and government agencies. (reference 1)
Licensing of First Responder Services
First responder medical service providers in Georgia, must be licensed by the state. All first responder vehicles must be equipped with seat belts for all seats, and must display a decal showing that the vehicle is a registered first responder vehicle. First responder vehicles must carry combined single limit, or CSL, insurance of at least $1,000,000. CSL insurance covers claims against damage to property and bodily injury in a single policy. Whenever a first responder call is answered by a licensed responder, a dispatch record must be filled out containing the date and time the call for assistance was received, a call back telephone number, the location of the person or persons needing medical help, and the location of the emergency. The record should also include details of the apparent medical problem. Licensed responder services are obliged to have vehicles and personnel available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Licensing of first responder services is included in section 290-5-30.09 of the Georgia Code. (reference 2)
Emergency Medical Technicians
Emergency medical services personnel have to carry official identification issued by the Georgia Department of Community Health. If an emergency medical health professional is convicted of an offence involving the theft of drugs, substance abuse or any felony, that person must inform the Office of Emergency Medical Services in writing, within 10 days of the conviction. On duty, an Emergency Medical Services professional must wear visible identification including the name of the company, his or her own name and his or her licensing level. The licensing levels include Basic, Intermediate, Cardiac Technician, and Paramedic, and the licensing level indicated the level of medical proficiency of the holder.
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