2023 District of Columbia Code › Title 7 - Human Health Care and Safety › Chapter 23B - Emergency Medical Services › § 7–2341.01. Definitions

§ 7–2341.01. Definitions.
For the purposes of this chapter, the term:
(1) “Ambulance” means any privately or publicly owned vehicle specially designed, constructed, modified, or equipped for use as a means for transporting patients in a medical emergency or any privately or publicly owned vehicle that is advertised, marked, or in any way held out as a vehicle for the transportation of patients in a medical emergency. The term “ambulance” includes vehicles capable of operation over ground, on water, and in air.
(2) “Competency evaluation” means any written, oral, or practical examination or assessment of the knowledge or skills of an applicant for certification or re-certification as emergency medical services personnel which is pertinent to the ability of that applicant to perform the duties required of him or her. Each competency evaluation may include one or more sub-parts, including individual demonstrations and assessments of the applicant’s performance in actual or simulated emergency situations.
(3) “Emergency” means the existence of circumstances in which the element of time in treating, or in transporting to medical treatment, a person who is ill, injured, wounded, or otherwise incapacitated is essential to the health or life of that person, and in which rescue operations, or competent first aid, or both may be essential to the health or life of that person.
(4) “Emergency medical response vehicle” means a vehicle or conveyance used to respond to the scene of a medical emergency for the purpose of rendering medical assistance, including the provision of medical assistance on the scene or the transportation of patients to a health care facility or other treatment facility. The term “emergency medical response vehicle” includes:
(A) Ambulances which operate as motor vehicles, watercraft, or aircraft; and
(B) Fire engines, motor vehicles, segways, or other ground, water, or air vehicles used to transport emergency medical services personnel, supplies, or equipment to the scene of an emergency.
(5) “Emergency medical services agency” means an entity engaged in the business or service of one or more of the following:
(A) Responding to requests for emergency medical assistance;
(B) Transporting patients from the scene of an emergency to a health care facility or other treatment facility; or
(C) Providing medical assistance to patients on the scene of an emergency or in transit from the scene of an emergency to a health care facility or other treatment facility.
(6) “Emergency medical services instructor” means a person engaged in the business or service of:
(A) Teaching one or more courses of study or training designed to prepare interested persons for the oral, written, or practical examinations required for certification or re-certification as emergency medical services personnel;
(B) Administering one or more such examinations; or
(C) Both.
(7) “Emergency medical services personnel” means a person performing the duties of providing medical assistance, medical treatment, first aid, or lifesaving interventions, on the scene of an emergency or in transit from the scene of an emergency to a health care facility or other treatment facility, to a person who is ill, injured, wounded, or otherwise incapacitated. The term “emergency medical services personnel” includes persons otherwise classified as “certified first responders”, “emergency medical technicians”, “basic, intermediate, or advanced emergency medical technicians”, and “paramedics”.
(8) “Emergency medical services training facility” means an institution or entity engaged in the business or service of providing one or more courses of study or training designed to prepare interested persons for the oral, written, or practical examinations required for certification or re-certification as emergency medical services personnel.
(9) “Flight emergency medical services personnel” means a person performing the duties of providing medical assistance, medical treatment, first aid, or lifesaving interventions, in airborne transit from the scene of an emergency to a health care facility or other treatment facility, or in airborne transit between facilities, to a person who is ill, injured, wounded, or otherwise incapacitated. The term “flight emergency medical services personnel” includes persons otherwise classified as emergency medical services personnel by this chapter, as well as nurses, respiratory therapists, physician assistants, and physicians.
(10) “Health care facility” means a hospital, maternity center, ambulatory surgical facility, or hospice, as defined in subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 44 [§ 44-501 et seq.].
(11) “Medical control system” means a system wherein the direct clinical instructions given to emergency medical services personnel in the field are given by physicians in a designated hospital or medical resource center.
(12) “Mutual aid” means an agreement whereby the District of Columbia requests the assistance of an outside entity to provide supplemental or specialized emergency medical services in an emergent situation, pursuant to established protocols.
(13) “Qualified health care professional” means a person licensed and qualified in accordance with Chapter 12 of Title 3 [§ 3-1201.01 et seq.] and with rules promulgated pursuant to that chapter, to engage in the act of prescribing and of rendering medical care and advice under the circumstances presented.
(14) “Treatment facility” means an urgent care center, treatment center, clinic, or other facility or office at which medical or psychological services are performed, and which has been designated by the Mayor as a facility authorized to receive patients transported by emergency medical services entities or personnel.
(Mar. 25, 2009, D.C. Law 17-357, § 2, 56 DCR 1167.)
Delegation of Authority
Delegation of Authority pursuant to D.C. Law 17-357, the “Emergency Medical Services Act of 2008”, see Mayor’s Order 2009-89, June 1, 2009 ( 56 DCR 6831).