§ 5-401 — Area of service; division of District into fire companies; pre-hospital care and services; approval required for major changes in manner of fire protection.

(a) The Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (“Department”) shall provide fire prevention and fire protection within the geographical boundaries of the District of Columbia. The District shall be divided into such fire companies, and other units as the Council of the District of Columbia may from time to time direct. Major changes in the manner the Department provides fire protection and fire prevention shall be approved by act of the Council.

(1) The Department shall provide pre-hospital medical care and transport within the geographical boundaries of the District of Columbia. Major changes in the manner the Department provides emergency medical services shall be approved by act of the Council.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Department may contract with third parties to provide supplemental pre-hospital medical care and transportation to persons requiring Basic Life Support.

(3) A contract entered into pursuant to paragraph (2) of this subsection shall include a provision that precludes the District from liability for any claims arising out of the actions of the third-party contractor and also provides full indemnification to ensure that the District shall not be responsible for any amounts owed to others as a result of the third-party contractor's action or inaction under the contract.

(b-1) The Department shall establish a community cardiopulmonary resuscitation program to conduct cardiopulmonary resuscitation training and emergency medical application training for District residents and employees within the following District facilities:

(1) District of Columbia Public Schools;

(2) District of Columbia Public Charter Schools;

(3) District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation facilities; and

(4) Any other District of Columbia government buildings.

(c) Repealed.

(d) Each third-party contractor that enters into a contract pursuant to subsection (b)(2) of this section shall provide an annual report to the Department and to the Council that includes the following information:

(1) The number of transports performed;

(2) The average time between the dispatch of the third-party contractor by the Department and the third-party contractor's arrival to the patient;

(3) Repealed.

(4) The average transport time from the location where the third-party contractor meets each patient to the healthcare facility to which the patient is transported;

(5) Repealed.

(6) Repealed.

(7) The range of third-party contractor ambulances available for Department use throughout a 24-hour period;

(8) The length of the third-party contractor's personnel shifts;

(9) The number of employees hired by the third-party contractor and their residency; and

(10) The number of patients who used the third-party contractor's services twice or more times during the reporting period, including the number of times the patient used the services during the previous 12 months.

(11) Repealed.

(12) Repealed.

(e) Repealed.

(e-1) No later than January 31 of each year, the Mayor shall provide to the Council a report that includes the following information for the previous fiscal year:

(1) The number of calls dispatched;

(2) The number of patients transported via Department Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support, and by the third-party contractor;

(3) The average hospital drop time per month that the Department's and the third-party contractor's ambulances remained out of service while waiting to transfer the care of a patient to a healthcare facility;

(4) The number of patients who used the Department's transport service twice or more during the reporting period, including the number of times the patient used transport services during the previous 12 months;

(5) The number of total in-service training hours provided to Department uniformed employees;

(6) In-service time or uptime data for Department ambulances, engines, and ladder trucks;

(7) Aggregate Department response time data;

(8) Aggregate patient care and outcomes data;

(9) Changes to protocols or policies to reroute non-emergency calls;

(10) An assessment of the number of units, the number of personnel, the amount of training, and associated costs required to provide pre-hospital medical care and transportation without the use of third parties; and

(11) Other key performance indicators and workload measures as appropriate.

(f) Repealed.

(g) Repealed.

(h) For the purposes of this section, the term:

(1) "Advanced life support" means a level of medical care provided by pre-hospital emergency medical services at the paramedic level and in accordance with the national scope of practice for an advanced level provider.

(1A) "Basic Life Support" means a level of medical care provided by pre-hospital emergency medical services at the basic emergency response technician level and in accordance with the national scope of practice for a basic level provider.

(2) "Patient care report" means a paper or electronic document that details the patient's pre-hospital status and condition and medication administered by a member of the Department or third-party contractor, from the time of the emergency call to the handover of the patient to a healthcare facility.

Legislative History

June 20, 1906, 34 Stat. 314, ch. 3443, § 1; Apr. 7, 1977, D.C. Law 1-111,§ 2, 23 DCR 9384; Apr. 15, 2008, D.C. Law 17-147, § 2(a), 55 DCR 2558; Mar. 25, 2009, D.C. Law 17-353, § 232, 56 DCR 1117; Sept. 20, 2012, D.C. Law 19-168, § 6012(a), 59 DCR 8025; Sept. 26, 2012, D.C. Law 19-171, § 38, 59 DCR 6190