256.15 Emergency medical services personnel; licensure; certification; training.

977 words·~4 min read·/wi/chapter-256/256-15-2

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(1)Definitions. In this section:

(ag)“Act of terrorism” means a felony under ch. 939 to 951 that is committed with intent to terrorize and is committed under any of the following circumstances:

1. The person committing the felony causes bodily harm, great bodily harm, or death to another.

2. The person committing the felony causes damage to the property of another and the total property damaged is reduced in value by $25,000 or more. For purposes of this subdivision, property is reduced in value by the amount that it would cost either to repair or replace it, whichever is less.

3. The person committing the felony uses force or violence or the threat of force or violence.

(cr)“Automated external defibrillator” means a defibrillator device to which all of the following apply:

1. It is approved for commercial distribution by the federal food and drug administration.

2. It is capable of recognizing the presence or absence of ventricular fibrillation or rapid ventricular tachycardia and of determining without intervention by the user of the device whether defibrillation should be performed.

3. After having determined that defibrillation should be performed, it is capable, either at the command of an operator or without intervention by an operator, of delivering an electrical shock to an individual.

(d)“Basic life support” means emergency medical care that is rendered to a sick, disabled, or injured individual, based on signs, symptoms, or complaints, prior to the individual’s hospitalization or while transporting the individual between health care facilities and that is limited to use of the knowledge, skills, and techniques received from training required for licensure as an emergency medical technician, or for certification as an emergency medical responder.

(dm)“Defibrillation” means administering an electrical impulse to an individual’s heart in order to stop ventricular fibrillation or rapid ventricular tachycardia.

(hr)“Governmental unit” means the United States; the state; any county, city, village, or town; or any political subdivision, department, division, board, or agency of the United States, the state, or any county, city, village, or town.

(i)“Indian tribe” means a federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in this state.

(ig)“Intent to terrorize” means intent to influence the policy of a governmental unit by intimidation or coercion, to punish a governmental unit for a prior policy decision, to affect the conduct of a governmental unit by homicide or kidnapping, or to intimidate or coerce a civilian population.

(ij)“Interfacility transport” means any transfer of a patient between health care facilities or any nonemergent transfer of a patient.

(im)“Manual defibrillator” means a heart monitor and defibrillator that:

1. Is operated only after an operator has first analyzed and recognized an individual’s cardiac rhythm;

2. Charges and delivers, only at the command of the operator, an electrical impulse to an individual’s heart; and

3. In the case of a defibrillator that may be operated as a manual defibrillator or as an automated external defibrillator, is set to operate as a manual defibrillator.

(iw)“Mutual aid” means emergency medical care provided in another service area when the primary ambulance service provider in that area requires additional resources because it has already committed all its resources to other emergency responses.

(L)“Person” includes an individual, firm, partnership, association, corporation, trust, foundation, company, public agency or a group of individuals, however named, concerned with the operation of an ambulance.

(n)“Public agency” means this state, a county, city, village or town; an agency of this state or of a county, city, village or town; or an Indian tribe.

(p)“Ventricular fibrillation” means a disturbance in the normal rhythm of the heart that is characterized by rapid, irregular and ineffective twitching of the ventricles of the heart.

(2)License or certificate required; exceptions.

(a)Except when acting under s. 257.03 and except as provided in pars.

(b)and

(c), no person may act as or advertise for the provision of services as an ambulance service provider unless the person holds an ambulance service provider license issued under this section. Except when acting under s. 257.03 and except as provided in pars.

(b)and

(c), no individual may act as or advertise for the provision of services as an emergency medical services practitioner unless he or she holds an emergency medical services practitioner license or training permit issued under sub.

(5). Except when acting under s. 257.03 and except as provided in pars.

(b)and

(c), no individual may act as or advertise for the provision of services as an emergency medical responder unless he or she holds an emergency medical responder certificate issued under sub.

(8).

(b)An ambulance service provider licensed in another state that makes 10 or fewer patient transports per year that originate and terminate within this state is not required to hold an ambulance service provider license under this section. An emergency medical services practitioner licensed in or holding a training permit in another state who is involved in 10 or fewer patient transports per year that originate and terminate within this state is not required to hold an emergency medical services practitioner license or training permit under this section. An emergency medical responder certified in another state who provides emergency medical care to 10 or fewer patients per year within this state is not required to hold an emergency medical responder certificate under this section.

(c)Notwithstanding par.

(a), a person may act as an ambulance service provider, emergency medical services practitioner, or emergency medical responder without a license, training permit, or certificate described under par.

(a)if all of the following apply:

1. The person holds a valid license, training permit, certificate, or other credential allowing the person to act as an ambulance service provider, emergency medical services practitioner, or emergency medical responder in another state.