[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township
of Hazlet 12-15-2020 by Ord. No. 1662-20. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter is to preserve and enhance the availability
of volunteer first aid squad services for legitimate medical emergency
situations in the Township by regulating the use of volunteer first
aid squad services in certain non-emergency situations.
For purposes of this chapter, the following definition applies:
All state-licensed nursing homes, rest homes, health maintenance
organizations, assisted living facilities, health-care facilities
providing in-patient services, and other licensed or unlicensed medical
care providers with the capacity to treat eight or more patients simultaneously.
All patient care facilities located within the Township are
hereby required to own, lease, rent or have promptly available by
contract sufficient appropriately staffed private ambulance services
for the treatment and transport of patients in need of non-emergency
medical care. Such ambulance services shall be available 365 days
per year and 24 hours per day.
Each patient care facility subject to this chapter shall file
proof of the availability of private ambulance services with the Township
Clerk within 60 days after final passage of this chapter, and on or
before January 1 of each year thereafter. Proof of private ambulance
availability shall consist of contracts with at least two private
ambulance service providers under which such providers are obliged
to respond promptly to the patient care facility. Alternatively, if
a patient care facility elects to own and operate its own ambulance(s),
such proof shall consist of documentation of the make, model, year,
color, serial number, license plate number, location, and staffing
of such ambulance(s). As part of the proofs required under this chapter,
the resident director, manager or authorized corporate officer of
each patient care facility shall make and file with the Township Clerk
a signed certification that adequate private ambulance services are
available, and that all agents and employees of such facility involved
with patient care have been apprised of and trained in the use of
such private ambulance services. The failure of a patient care facility
to comply with any requirement of this chapter shall constitute an
ordinance violation by the patient care facility and its resident
director, manager, or authorized corporate officer and shall be punishable
by a fine of $1,000 and per every 30 days thereafter.
In the event that an employee or agent of a patient care facility
located in the Township takes actions resulting in the dispatch of
a volunteer first aid squad, and the responding volunteer first aid
squad determines in its sole discretion that the basis for dispatch
did not constitute circumstances requiring the use of an advanced
life support or paramedic unit, the senior member of the responding
volunteer first aid squad shall certify accordingly to the Township,
such action by the private care facility shall constitute a violation
of this chapter, punishable by a fine of $1,000 per violation.
This chapter shall be enforced by the Hazlet Township Code Enforcement
Officer.
