Emergency medical services (EMS): prehospital EMS.

Existing law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, governs local emergency medical services (EMS) systems and authorizes each county to develop an EMS program and designate a local EMS agency. Existing law requires a county to enter into a written agreement with a city or fire district that contracted for or provided prehospital EMS as of June 1, 1980. Existing law requires, until that written agreement is reached, prehospital EMS to be continued at not less than the existing level and the administration of prehospital EMS by cities and fire districts contracting for or providing those services as of June 1, 1980, to be retained by those cities and fire districts. This bill would require a city or fire district that contracted for or provided, as of June 1, 1980, prehospital emergency medical services, to be deemed to retain its authority regarding, and administration of, the prehospital emergency medical services when a city or fire district enters into an agreement with a county for the joint exercise of powers regarding prehospital emergency medical services for that city or fire district, or ceases to contract for, provide, or administer prehospital emergency medical services as a result of a judicial finding, as specified. The bill would clarify the Legislature's intent that a city's or fire district's entry into a written agreement, as described, does not make the city or fire district ineligible to contract with a county, as described above, or result in the transfer, termination, relinquishment, or extinguishment of that city's or fire district's authorities regarding, or administration of, prehospital emergency medical services, and to abrogate contrary judicial holdings. Under the act, the medical direction and management of an emergency medical services system is under the medical control of the medical director of the local EMS agency. The act requires the medical control to be maintained in accordance with standards for medical control established by the Emergency Medical Services Authority. The act prohibits this medical control from being construed to limit, supplant, prohibit, or otherwise alter a public safety agency's authority to directly receive and process requests for assistance originating within the public safety agency's territorial jurisdiction through the emergency "911" system. This bill would clarify the Legislature's intent by clarifying the scope and breadth of this medical control as described under the act, to restrict local EMS agencies' medical control authority over public safety agencies, as specified, and to clarify that a public safety agency does not transfer any of the public safety agency's authority regarding the administration of emergency medical services by adhering, or agreeing to adhere, to a local EMS agency's medical control authority, and to abrogate contrary judicial holdings.