HB 863

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to emergency medical services training
3	programs in Pinellas County; providing that a majority
4	of the field internship experience provided for
5	paramedic students by a paramedic program located in
6	Pinellas County may be done aboard an advanced life
7	support permitted vehicle other than an ambulance if
8	certain other requirements are met; providing an
9	effective date.
10
11	WHEREAS, the emergency medical services (EMS) in Pinellas
12	County operate as a public utility model and is the only public
13	utility model system in this state, and
14	WHEREAS, in Pinellas County, fire departments serve as
15	first responders and arrive on the scene as the initial
16	responder more than 90 percent of the time, and
17	WHEREAS, due to the low number of ambulances available in
18	Pinellas County, the ambulance contractor transports patients
19	and rarely arrives first on the scene, and
20	WHEREAS, if paramedic training programs allowed students to
21	ride with the advanced life support vehicles of the fire
22	departments no more than 20 percent of the time, as directed by
23	rule 64J-1.020, Florida Administrative Code, paramedic students
24	in Pinellas County would never finish the required field
25	internships and obtain the required team leads within a
26	reasonable time, and
27	WHEREAS, this 20 percent limitation would severely impact
28	enrollment in paramedic training programs in Pinellas County and
29	lengthen the time it would take for paramedic students to
30	complete the training programs, which would make the paramedic
31	training programs in Pinellas County noncompetitive with other
32	EMS educational programs in the state, NOW, THEREFORE,
33
34	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
35
36	Section 1.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law or
37	rule, a majority of the field internship experience provided for
38	paramedic students by a paramedic training program located in
39	Pinellas County may be done aboard an advanced life support
40	permitted vehicle other than an ambulance, if such field
41	internship experience is provided under the supervision of a
42	paramedic preceptor who is approved by the paramedic training
43	program and is provided in accordance with other requirements
44	established by rule of the Department of Health.
45	Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.