Code of Maine Rules › 16 - DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY › 163 - BUREAU OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (MAINE EMS) › Chapter 3 - GROUND AMBULANCE SERVICE AND NON-TRANSPORTING SERVICE LICENSES › Section 163-3-13 - Ground Ambulance Design Requirements

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
1. A
				ground ambulance vehicle must meet the following standards to be licensed:
A. Federal/state safety requirements. It must
				meet the applicable federal and Maine safety requirements including the State's
				periodic motor vehicle inspection requirements listed in the current edition of
				the Maine State Police Motor Vehicle Inspections Manual.
B. Interior size. It must meet the chassis
				manufacturer's specifications and must have a minimum inside height of 60
				inches at the center of the patient compartment, a minimum width of 48 inches
				at the center of the patient compartment, a walkway parallel to the length of
				the primary cot adequate to allow an attendant to walk from head to foot of the
				cot; and a minimum inside patient compartment length of 122 inches at the cot
				level.
C. Interior storage
				accommodations. The interior of the patient compartment must provide adequate
				stowage space for medical supplies, devices, and installed systems. For
				purposes of this paragraph, "stowage" is defined as the storing, packing, or
				arranging of ambulance contents in a secure manner so as to protect the
				contents from damage and the personnel from injury. Interior compartment doors,
				latches and operating mechanisms must operate in accordance with the
				manufacturer's design.
D. Seat
				belts. Seat belts shall be provided in all permanent seat positions in the
				vehicle, including the squad bench. For purposes of this paragraph, "squad
				bench" is defined as a permanent, non-removable seat that is located in the
				patient compartment and which can serve as a seat for crew members or as a
				surface on which a patient may lie down.
E. Patient restraint. The ambulance must be
				equipped with a multilevel patient stretcher designed for ambulances, mounted
				in, and detachable from the vehicle. The head of the stretcher must elevate. At
				least three strap-type restraining devices (chest, hip, lower extremity), not
				less than 2 inches wide, shall be provided for each stretcher, cot, or litter.
				Additionally, the head of the cot shall be furnished with upper torso (over the
				shoulder) restraints designed to prevent motion of the patient during severe
				braking or in an accident. Restraining straps shall incorporate metal-to-metal
				quick release buckles. The use of all lateral and shoulder straps is required
				while transporting a patient.
F.
				Stretcher fasteners. The installed stretcher fastener device(s) for wheeled
				stretchers shall meet the performance requirements of the following two
				standards, which this rule incorporates by reference:
1.
Ambulance Litter Integrity,
				Retention, and Patient Restraint Fasteners
, (J3027), July 14, 2014,
				edition, which is available at cost from SAE International, 400 Commonwealth
				Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096; or,
2.
				Chapter 6 (6.22) "Patient Cot Retention" of
Standard for Automotive
				Ambulances
(NFPA 1917), 2019 edition, published May 24, 2018, which is
				available at cost from the National Fire Protection Association, 1 Batterymarch
				Park, Quincy, MA.
3. Provision
				shall be made for the required portable stretchers to be secured in safe
				positions for transport. Stretcher fasteners must be installed according to the
				stretcher fastener manufacturer's directions. All ambulances licensed after
				July 1, 2030 will need to meet these requirements.
G. Patient compartment environmental
				equipment. The patient compartment shall be adequately heated, air-conditioned,
				and ventilated to provide for patient comfort.
H. Communications equipment shall be adequate
				to allow the vehicle to contact on the regional radio frequency the hospitals
				to which it regularly takes patients. The ambulance shall also be able to
				maintain two-way communications contact with a full-time dispatching facility.
				All vehicles licensed or authorized by Maine EMS shall be capable of
				communications utilizing the designated Maine EMS statewide frequency,
				155.385
I. Attendants/driver
				communication. The driver and the attendants, in their working positions, must
				be able to speak to one another.
J.
				Warning devices. All ambulances shall be equipped with a functional siren and
				with functional emergency warning lights, rotating, or flashing, visible from
				360 degrees at all times. Colors of ambulance lights are fixed by
				29-A
				M.R.S. §2054.
K. Patient compartment illumination. Normal
				white illumination shall be provided in the patient area so as to provide a
				minimum of 35-foot candles of illumination measured on at least 90 percent of
				the cot's surface area.
L. Name of
				service. Ground vehicles must display the name of the service licensing the
				vehicle on the left (driver) and right (passenger) side of the vehicle in
				letters no less than 6 inches high or display a logo that adequately identifies
				the service. Vehicles temporarily transferred to a service under the provision
				of Chapter 3 §
										12 are exempt from this
				requirement.
M. Main oxygen supply.
				The ambulance shall have a hospital type piped medical oxygen system capable of
				storing and supplying a minimum of 3,000 liters ("M" size tank). The oxygen
				pressure regulator must be a medical oxygen pressure reducing and regulator
				valve with an inlet filter at the cylinder and shall have a line relief valve
				set at 1378 kPa (200 psi) maximum, and a gauge range of 0 to 17225 kPa (0 to
				2500 psi). The flow meter must be a pressure compensated type.
N. Suction aspirator permanently mounted. The
				ambulance vehicle shall have an electrically or (engine) vacuum-powered suction
				unit capable of providing a free air flow of at least 20 L.P.M. and achieving a
				minimum of 300 mm Hg within 4 seconds after the suction tube is
				closed.
O. Exterior compartments
				and doors. Exterior compartments, exterior compartment doors and exterior
				patient/passenger doors must be equipped with latches, gaskets and operating
				mechanisms which operate in accordance with the manufacturer's
				design.