§ 906. Emergency Medical Services Division; responsibilities
To implement the policy of section 901 of this chapter, the Department of Health shall
be responsible for:
(1) Developing and implementing minimum standards for training emergency medical personnel
in basic life support and advanced life support, and licensing emergency medical personnel
according to their level of training and competence. The Department shall establish
by rule at least three levels of emergency medical personnel instructors and the education
required for each level.
(2) Developing and implementing minimum standards for vehicles used in providing emergency
medical care, designating the types and quantities of equipment that must be carried
by these vehicles, and registering those vehicles according to appropriate classifications.
(3) Developing a statewide system of emergency medical services, including planning, organizing,
coordinating, improving, expanding, monitoring, and evaluating emergency medical services.
(4) [Repealed.]
(5) Developing volunteer and career response time standards for urban and rural requests
for emergency services.
(6) Training, or assisting in the training of, emergency medical personnel.
(7) Assisting hospitals in the development of programs that will improve the quality of
in-hospital services for persons requiring emergency medical treatment.
(8) Developing and implementing procedures to ensure that emergency medical services are
rendered only with appropriate medical control. For the provision of advanced life
support, appropriate medical control shall include at a minimum:
(A) written protocols between the appropriate officials of receiving hospitals and emergency
medical services districts defining their operational procedures;
(B) where necessary and practicable, direct communication between emergency medical personnel
and a physician or person acting under the direct supervision of a physician;
(C) when such communication has been established, a specific order from the physician
or person acting under the direct supervision of the physician to employ a certain
medical procedure;
(D) use of advanced life support, when appropriate, only by emergency medical personnel
who are certified by the Department of Health to employ advanced life support procedures.
(9) Establishing requirements for the collection of data by emergency medical personnel
and hospitals as may be necessary to evaluate emergency medical treatment.
(10) Establishing, by rule, license levels for emergency medical personnel. The Commissioner
shall use the guidelines established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) in the U.S. Department of Transportation as a standard or other comparable
standards, except that a felony conviction shall not necessarily disqualify an applicant.
The rules shall also provide that:
(A) An individual may apply for and obtain one or more additional licenses, including
licensure as an advanced emergency medical technician or as a paramedic.
(B) An individual licensed by the Commissioner as an emergency medical technician, advanced
emergency medical technician, or paramedic, who is affiliated with an affiliated agency,
shall be able to practice fully within the scope of practice for such level of licensure
as defined by NHTSA’s National EMS Scope of Practice Model consistent with the license
level of the affiliated agency, and subject to the medical direction of the emergency
medical services district medical advisor.
(C)(i) Unless otherwise provided under this section, an individual seeking any level of licensure
shall be required to pass an examination approved by the Commissioner for that level
of licensure, except that any psychomotor skills testing for emergency medical responder,
or emergency medical technician licensure shall be accomplished either by the demonstration
of those skills competencies as part of the education required for that license level
as approved by the Department or by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians’
psychomotor examination.
(ii) Written and practical examinations shall not be required for relicensure; however,
to maintain licensure, all individuals shall complete a specified number of hours
of continuing education as established by rule by the Commissioner. The Commissioner
shall ensure that continuing education classes are available online and provided on
a regional basis to accommodate the needs of volunteers and part-time individuals,
including those in rural areas of the State.
(D) If there is a hardship imposed on any applicant for a license under this section because
of unusual circumstances, the applicant may apply to the Commissioner for a temporary
or permanent waiver of one or more of the licensure requirements, which the Commissioner
may grant for good cause.
(E) An applicant who has served as a hospital corpsman or a medic in the U.S. Armed Forces,
or who is licensed as a registered nurse or a physician assistant shall be granted
a permanent waiver of the training requirements to become a licensed emergency medical
technician, an advanced emergency medical technician, or a paramedic, provided the
applicant passes the applicable examination approved by the Commissioner for that
level of licensure and is affiliated with an affiliated agency.
(F) An applicant who is registered on the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
as an emergency medical technician, an advanced emergency medical technician, or a
paramedic shall be granted licensure as a Vermont emergency medical technician, an
advanced emergency medical technician, or a paramedic without the need for further
testing, provided he or she is affiliated with an affiliated agency or is serving
as a medic with the Vermont National Guard.
(G) [Repealed.]
(11) In addition to the licenses established under subdivision (10) of this section, the
Department shall establish by rule an entry-level certification for Vermont EMS first
responders. (Added 1981, No. 61; amended 2009, No. 78 (Adj. Sess.), § 10e, eff. April 15, 2010; 2009, No. 142 (Adj. Sess.), § 18, eff. June 1, 2010; 2011, No. 155 (Adj. Sess.), § 35; 2015, No. 97 (Adj. Sess.), § 46a; 2019, No. 100 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. May 14, 2020; 2019, No. 166 (Adj. Sess.), § 29, eff. Oct. 1, 2020.)