NJ Highway Safety Act Updates: A543/S371 - Action Needed
EMSWebinfo joins the EMSCNJ in the importance of pushing these updates to the Highway Safety Act through our state legislature. The bills are meant to strengthen the level of care that NJ EMTs provide to our patients. The bills are supported by the leaders of many local municipalities and needs the help of all EMTs in the state. The EMSCNJ has provided a convenient interface link that will allow you to send a pre-written message to your legislator to co-sponsor the bills. Please take action immediately after reading the highlights of the bills below.
EMSWebinfo joins the EMSCNJ in the importance of pushing these updates to the Highway Safety Act through our state legislature. The bills are meant to strengthen the level of care that NJ EMTs provide to our patients. The bills are supported by the leaders of many local municipalities and needs the help of all EMTs in the state. The EMSCNJ has provided a convenient interface link that will allow you to send a pre-written message to your legislator to co-sponsor the bills. Please take action immediately after reading the highlights of the bills below.
A543/S371 will make the following updates to the New Jersey Highway Traffic Safety Act:
Require a minimum crew configuration for any volunteer or non-volunteer ambulance that responds to a 911 emergency call. The crew must have at least 1 EMT and a certified driver. Any time a patient is transported, the EMT must be with the patient.
Change the definition of a “volunteer squad” to reflect the fiscal realities faced by volunteer squads today.
Require that every volunteer or non-volunteer first aid, rescue, or ambulance squad providing basic life support services be inspected and certified to do so by the Office of Emergency Medical Services in the Department of Health, or inspected and certified as a member in good standing of the New Jersey State First Aid Council.
Every volunteer and non-volunteer squad will be required to annually provide the municipality with a list of its members with their certifications and expiration dates of the certifications, as well as a copy of the proof of inspection. The governing body or person designated will authorize the applicant, ambulances, and ambulance equipment as being qualified for emergency medical service programs, and will issue a certificate to that effect at no charge. Towns already have this right under the current law. This amendment makes it clear that a municipality should receive this information and that it’s the town that decides who will provide its EMS.
Will require the Department of Health and the New Jersey State First Aid Council to take into consideration the national curriculum for emergency medical technicians and other emergency medical responders when adopting their training program, and shall require that the impact on recruitment and retention of volunteers be considered before adopting and implementing any new or revised training requirements or curricula related to training materials, minimum class hours, training hours, or the availability of training programs. This will help prevent the type of issues that have occurred with respect to the retention and recruitment of volunteers because of the changes made to the EMT program in January, 2013. These changes have resulted in fewer volunteers being able to complete the EMT basic course thus making it much more difficult for squads, volunteer as well as non-volunteer, to be able to recruit / hire new members.
This information is the property of the EMSCNJ. The content and attached PDF has been copied from the EMSCNJ website with their permission. Any use of this content must first be approved by the EMSCNJ.
Require a minimum crew configuration for any volunteer or non-volunteer ambulance that responds to a 911 emergency call. The crew must have at least 1 EMT and a certified driver. Any time a patient is transported, the EMT must be with the patient.
Change the definition of a “volunteer squad” to reflect the fiscal realities faced by volunteer squads today.
- A squad will no longer be considered a “non-volunteer” squad if it bills for its services.
- The new definition will define a volunteer squad as one that covers at least 51% of its coverage time with all volunteer crews.
- The definition of volunteer will also include a nonprofit organization or a political subdivision that does not bill its patients for providing basic life support services.
- This change in the definition will provide these squads and their volunteer members with the current protections and rights afforded to volunteer squads.
- This will include protection under the limited liability statutes currently in force as well as permitting squads’ volunteer members to use blue lights and be eligible for the volunteer EMT Training Fund.
Require that every volunteer or non-volunteer first aid, rescue, or ambulance squad providing basic life support services be inspected and certified to do so by the Office of Emergency Medical Services in the Department of Health, or inspected and certified as a member in good standing of the New Jersey State First Aid Council.
Every volunteer and non-volunteer squad will be required to annually provide the municipality with a list of its members with their certifications and expiration dates of the certifications, as well as a copy of the proof of inspection. The governing body or person designated will authorize the applicant, ambulances, and ambulance equipment as being qualified for emergency medical service programs, and will issue a certificate to that effect at no charge. Towns already have this right under the current law. This amendment makes it clear that a municipality should receive this information and that it’s the town that decides who will provide its EMS.
Will require the Department of Health and the New Jersey State First Aid Council to take into consideration the national curriculum for emergency medical technicians and other emergency medical responders when adopting their training program, and shall require that the impact on recruitment and retention of volunteers be considered before adopting and implementing any new or revised training requirements or curricula related to training materials, minimum class hours, training hours, or the availability of training programs. This will help prevent the type of issues that have occurred with respect to the retention and recruitment of volunteers because of the changes made to the EMT program in January, 2013. These changes have resulted in fewer volunteers being able to complete the EMT basic course thus making it much more difficult for squads, volunteer as well as non-volunteer, to be able to recruit / hire new members.
This information is the property of the EMSCNJ. The content and attached PDF has been copied from the EMSCNJ website with their permission. Any use of this content must first be approved by the EMSCNJ.
| bill_s371.pdf |
