Emergency Medical Services Districts

V.S.A. tit. 24, ch. 71, subch. 1

in effect

24 V.S.A. § 2651 Definitions

2651. Definitions As used in this chapter: (1) “Advanced emergency medical treatment” means those portions of emergency medical treatment as defined by the Department of Health, which may be performed by licensed emergency medical services personnel acting under the supervision of a physician within a system of medical control approved by the Department of Health. (2) “Ambulance” means any vehicle, whether air, ground, or water, that is designed, constructed, used, or intended for use in transporting ill or injured persons. (3) “Ambulance service” means a person licensed by the Department of Health to provide emergency medical treatment and transportation to ill or injured persons. (4) “Basic emergency medical treatment” means those portions of emergency medical treatment, as defined by the Department of Health, which may be exercised by licensed emergency medical services personnel acting under their own authority. (5) “District board” means the board of directors of a district appointed under section 2653 of this title. (6) “Emergency medical personnel” means persons, including volunteers, licensed by the Department of Health to provide emergency medical treatment on behalf of an affiliated agency whose primary function is the provision of emergency medical treatment. The term does not include duly licensed or registered physicians, dentists, nurses, or physician assistants when practicing in their customary work setting. (7) “Emergency medical services” means an integrated system of personnel, equipment, communication, and services to provide emergency medical treatment. (8) “Emergency medical services district” means a political subdivision established to facilitate the provision of pre-hospital emergency medical treatment within a given area. (9) “Emergency medical treatment” means pre-hospital, in-hospital, and interhospital medical treatment rendered by emergency medical personnel given to individuals who have experienced sudden illness or injury in order to prevent loss of life, the aggravation of the illness or injury, or to alleviate suffering. Emergency medical treatment includes basic emergency medical treatment and advanced emergency medical treatment. (10) “First responder service” means a person licensed by the Department of Health to provide emergency medical treatment. (11) “Medical control” means the entire system of quality assurance and medical accountability for basic and advanced emergency medical treatment as prescribed by this chapter. “Prehospital medical control” shall include direction and advice given to emergency medical personnel by a physician or a person acting under the direct supervision of a physician provided through: (A) off-line medical control functions or direction of emergency medical personnel through use of protocols, review of cases, and determination of outcomes, and through training programs; and (B) on-line medical control functions, via radio or telephone, of field personnel at the site of the emergency and en route to a hospital emergency department. (12) “Medical facilities” means a hospital providing emergency services to an emergency medical services district. (13) “Person” means any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, municipality, or political subdivision, including emergency medical services districts as provided for in this subchapter. (14) [Repealed.] (15) “Volunteer personnel” means persons who are licensed by the Department of Health to provide emergency medical treatment on behalf of an affiliated agency without expectation of remuneration for the treatment rendered other than nominal payments and reimbursement for expenses, and who do not depend in any significant way on the provision of such treatment for their livelihood. (16) “Affiliated agency” means an ambulance service or first responder service licensed under this chapter, including a fire department, rescue squad, police department, ski patrol, hospital, or other entity licensed to provide emergency medical services under this chapter. Added 1969, No. 112, § 1, eff. April 22, 1969; amended 1983, No. 226 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 2011, No. 155 (Adj. Sess.), § 40; 2013, No. 96 (Adj. Sess.), § 151; 2019, No. 166 (Adj. Sess.), § 27, eff. Oct. 1, 2020.

24 V.S.A. § 2652 Creation of districts

2652. Creation of districts The Department of Health may divide the State into emergency medical services districts, the number, size, and boundaries of which shall be determined by the Department in the interest of affording adequate and efficient emergency medical services throughout the State. Added 1969, No. 112, § 1, eff. April 22, 1969; amended 1983, No. 226 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 2019, No. 166 (Adj. Sess.), § 27, eff. Oct. 1, 2020.

24 V.S.A. § 2653 Appointment of directors

2653. Appointment of directors (a) Each emergency medical services district shall have a board of directors, composed of a representative of each of the medical facilities, ambulance services, and first responder services operating within the district, to serve for a term of two years each or until their successors are selected. The affected medical facility, ambulance service, or first responder service may appoint a director to fill any vacancy on the board of directors for the balance of an unexpired term. (b) The board of directors of an emergency medical services district may adopt bylaws which may contain provisions for the regulation and management of the affairs of the district. The bylaws may provide for creation of committees, including an executive committee, each consisting of two or more directors. An executive committee shall have and exercise all the authority of the board in the manner authorized by the resolution creating such committee. (c) Representatives shall be chosen by each medical facility, ambulance service, and first responder service before March 1 of each odd-numbered year. Each medical facility, ambulance service, and first responder service shall certify the name of its representative to the Commissioner of Health. Added 1969, No. 112, § 1, eff. April 22, 1969; amended 1969, No. 179 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1983, No. 226 (Adj. Sess.), § 3.

24 V.S.A. § 2655 Meetings of directors; election of officers

2655. Meetings of directors; election of officers (a) The board of directors shall hold an annual meeting on or before May 1 in each year, at which a chair, a clerk, and a treasurer shall be elected by the board to serve until the next annual meeting. A vice chair may be elected if the directors so vote. The chair and any vice chair shall be elected from members of the board, but the clerk and treasurer may be elected by the board from the general membership of the emergency medical services district, in which case they shall not be entitled to vote as directors. The directors shall also meet at such other times as they deem advisable. (b) Each district clerk shall cause to be recorded in the office of the Secretary of State the names of the elected district officers. (c) Meetings shall be called by the clerk on request of the chair or any two directors. However, in the event that no annual meeting is held on or before March 1 in any year, such a meeting may be called by any director. Five days’ written notice of all meetings shall be given to each director, unless waived in writing. (d) A majority of the directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting. Added 1969, No. 112, § 1, eff. April 22, 1969; amended 1969, No. 179 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 1983, No. 226 (Adj. Sess.), § 5.

24 V.S.A. § 2656 Duties and powers of officers and directors

2656. Duties and powers of officers and directors (a) The board of directors shall have full power to manage, control, and supervise the conduct of the district and to exercise in the name of the district all powers and functions belonging to the district, subject to such laws or rules as may be applicable. (b) The chair of the board of directors shall preside at meetings of directors, and shall perform such other duties as the directors may delegate to him or her. (c) The treasurer shall have the custody of all monies belonging to the district and shall keep accurate and complete books of account. Prior to assuming his or her duties, the treasurer shall execute a bond in favor of the district, conditioned on the faithful performance of his or her duties, in such sum and with such sureties as the directors approve. (d) The clerk shall keep minutes of meetings of directors and of the district, and shall record all votes. (e) The vice chair, if one is elected, shall perform the duties of the chair in the chair’s absence. Added 1969, No. 112, § 1, eff. April 22, 1969; amended 2019, No. 166 (Adj. Sess.), § 27, eff. Oct. 1, 2020.

24 V.S.A. § 2657 Purposes and powers of emergency medical services districts

2657. Purposes and powers of emergency medical services districts (a) It shall be the function of each emergency medical services district to foster and coordinate emergency medical services within the district, in the interest of affording adequate ambulance services within the district. Each emergency medical services district shall have powers that include the power to: (1) buy, acquire, or lease fixtures and equipment related to district activities; (2) apply for, receive, and accept gifts, bequests, grants-in-aid; State, federal, and local aid; and other forms of financial assistance; (3) enter into agreements and contracts for furnishing technical, educational, and support services related to the provision of emergency medical treatment; (4) appoint and employ agents and employees; (5) impose and collect reasonable charges or fees for its services; (6) monitor the provision of emergency medical services within the district and make recommendations to the Department of Health regarding licensure, relicensure, and removal or suspension of licensure for ambulance vehicles, ambulance services, and first responder services; (7) develop, in conjunction with municipal officials, response plans for the provision of emergency medical treatment and transportation by ambulance services and first responder services within the district; (8) sponsor or approve programs of education approved by the Department of Health which lead to the licensure of emergency medical services personnel; (9) establish medical control within the district with physicians and representatives of medical facilities, including written protocols with the appropriate officials of receiving hospitals defining their operational procedures; (10) assist the Department of Health in a program of testing for licensure of emergency medical services personnel; (11) [Repealed.] (12) develop protocols for providing appropriate response times to requests for emergency medical services. (b) Two or more contiguous emergency medical services districts by a majority vote of the district board in each of the districts concerned may change the mutual boundaries of their emergency medical services districts. The district boards shall report all changes in district boundaries to the Department of Health. (c) Property delivered to an ambulance service or first responder service by an emergency medical services district shall remain the property of the district, unless otherwise agreed in writing. Any equipment purchased with federal funds will be managed in accordance with federal guidelines. Added 1969, No. 112, § 1, eff. April 22, 1969; amended 1969, No. 207 (Adj. Sess.), § 9, eff. March 24, 1970; 1983, No. 226 (Adj. Sess.), § 6; 2011, No. 155 (Adj. Sess.), § 41; 2019, No. 100 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 14, 2020; 2019, No. 166 (Adj. Sess.), § 27, eff. Oct. 1, 2020.

Source: Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov)URL: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/24/071Fetched: 10/21/2026