STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Temporarily waives certain basic life support services crewmember requirements.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning basic life support services.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
"Basic life support" means a basic level of pre-hospital care which includes patient stabilization, airway clearance, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hemorrhage control, initial wound care and fracture stabilization, and other techniques and procedures authorized by the Commissioner of Health.
"First responder" means a police officer, firefighter, or other person who has been trained to provide emergency medical first response services in a program recognized by the Commissioner of Health.
b. Until January 1, 2023, each basic life support services vehicle, when in service, shall be staffed by a minimum of two emergency medical technicians or by a minimum of one emergency medical technician and one first responder. Any individual staffing a basic life support vehicle shall be authorized to render care within that individual’s scope of practice. In the case of a vehicle staffed by a one emergency medical technician and one first responder, the emergency medical technician shall be present in the patient compartment of the vehicle at all times when a patient is present in the vehicle.
c. Each individual staffing a basic life support vehicle pursuant to this section shall be at least 18 years of age. In addition, a first responder staffing a basic life support vehicle shall:
(1) be certified to administer cardio-pulmonary resuscitation;
(2) be able to operate a basic life support vehicle; and
(3) possess a certification from the National Safety Council, National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, American Red Cross, Emergency Care and Safety Institute, the American Health and Safety Institute, or an equivalent certification.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill provides that, until January 1, 2023, each basic life support services (BLS) vehicle, when in service, is to be staffed by a minimum of two emergency medical technicians (EMTs) or by a minimum of one EMT and one first responder. The bill defines “first responder” to mean a police officer, firefighter, or other person who has been trained to provide emergency medical first response services in a program recognized by the Commissioner of Health.
Any individual staffing a BLS vehicle will be authorized to render care within that individual’s scope of practice. In the case of a vehicle staffed by a one EMT and one first responder, the EMT will be required to be present in the patient compartment of the vehicle at all times when a patient is present in the vehicle.
Each person staffing a BLS vehicle is to be at least 18 years of age. In addition, a first responder staffing a BLS vehicle will be required to:
(1) be certified to administer cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR);
(2) be able to operate a BLS vehicle; and
(3) possess a certification from the National Safety Council, National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, American Red Cross, Emergency Care and Safety Institute, the American Health and Safety Institute, or an equivalent certification.
This bill effectively extends a BLS vehicle crewmember waiver authorized by the Commissioner of Health in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Department of Health regulations ordinarily require that a BLS vehicle be staffed by at least two EMTs.