ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
AHCCCS; transplants
(NOW: qualified first
responder instructor; definition)
Expands the definition of “qualified first responder instructor” to include persons tested and certified by the National Safety Council or an equivalent organization, and eliminates the requirement of centralized medical direction communication centers to maintain the ability to communicate with emergency medical service providers by voice or telemetry.
Pursuant to statute, a “first responder” is a person who is employed by an ambulance service and whose primary responsibility is the driving of an ambulance (A.R.S. §36-2201). Prior to 2000, statute required first responders to comply with training and certification requirements adopted by the Director of the Department of Health Services (DHS). However, DHS had not developed or adopted a training curriculum for first responders; nor had it adopted the national standard curriculum prescribed by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Statute also requires an ambulance service provider operating in an area with a population of less than 10,000 persons to have a certified emergency medical technician and a first responder staffing an ambulance while transporting a patient (A.R.S. §36-2202). Due to the lack of training and certification regulations for first responders, there were no certified first responders in the state to meet this requirement.
Last year, the Legislature attempted to address the lack of certified first responders in the state by allowing DHS to recognize first responders who have completed a national curriculum and examination while under the supervision of a qualified first responder instructor who is tested and certified by the American Red Cross (Laws 2000, Chapter 327). However, the American Red Cross is not the only organization that provides a training program that meets national standards; the National Safety Council also provides first responder training for instructors and students. S.B. 1147 expands the definition of “qualified first responder instructor” to include other organizations that provide training for first responder instructors.
In addition, centralized medical direction communication centers have recently begun moving away from using telemetry devices to communicate with emergency medical service providers. This legislation conforms to this recent trend by eliminating the requirement of centralized medical direction communication centers to maintain the ability to communicate by voice and telemetry.
There are no costs relating to the provisions of this bill.
Provisions
1. Expands the definition of “qualified first responder instructor” to include persons tested and certified by the National Safety Council or an equivalent organization.
2. Eliminates the requirement of centralized medical direction communication centers to maintain the ability to communicate with emergency medical service providers by voice and telemetry.
3. Makes technical changes.
4. Provides for a general effective date.
Amendment
Adopted by Committee
Adopted the strike-everything amendment.
Amendments
Adopted by the House of Representatives
Eliminates the requirement of centralized medical direction communication centers to maintain the ability to communicate with emergency medical service providers by voice and telemetry.
Senate Action House Action
HEA 2/20/01 DPA/SE 8-0 HEA 3/19/01 DP 7-0-0-3
3rd Read 3/5/01 29-0-1 3rd Read 4/23/01 51-0-9-0
Final Read 4/26/01 29-0-1
Signed by Governor 5/1/01
Chapter 281
Prepared by Senate Staff
May 18, 2001