§ 6.60.020. County ambulance service provider agreement.

No individual, partnership, corporation or other entity shall operate, conduct, advertise or otherwise be engaged in the business or service of the transportation of patients upon the street, or any public way or place within the county, unless the county, through the board of supervisors, has executed a written county ambulance service provider agreement with the individual, partnership, corporation, or other entity. An ambulance operated by an agency of the United States or by the state shall not be required to have such an agreement.

(1)

The county ambulance service provider agreements with private providers shall provide for some method of ensuring that in the event the provider ceases to perform the agreement for any reason (including insolvency, bankruptcy, voluntary or involuntary dissolution of the business) the ambulances and operating equipment used by the provider in carrying out the agreement will be available for use by the county, or another private provider operating under agreement with the county, free of any legal encumbrances. The provisions may take the form of county ownership with lease-back arrangements or some other method, as recommended by the ambulance performance/operations committee.

(2)

The agreements shall address other areas of operation and performance, including, but not limited to, coverage requirements, minimum response time standards, staffing and certification requirements, review of financial and other records, data collection and reporting requirements, system interaction and rates.

(3)

The agreements will be developed by the ambulance operations/performance review committee before submission to the board of supervisors for approval on behalf of the county.

(4)

During the term of any agreement, proponents of any additional provider service in any of the assigned ambulance service areas shall have the burden of demonstrating that the public health, safety and welfare require the additional service.

(Ord. 2629 § 1 (part), 1993)