It shall be unlawful for any person to willfully inform the fire alarm dispatcher, police dispatcher, or other fire or police official, that an ambulance or more than one (1) ambulance is needed at a location or address when such person knows that such statement is false.
(Ordinance 3017, § 1, adopted 10/6/1977; Ordinance 7379, § 1, adopted 12/17/1998)
[1]
Editor's note—For purposes of classification, the editor has redesignated former § 5-14 as § 5-01.
(a) 
To be provided by city fire department.
The fire department of the city shall provide emergency ambulance service within the city. It shall be unlawful for any person not employed by the City of Irving Fire Department to provide an emergency ambulance pick-up of any person in the City of Irving. It shall be an affirmative defense to prosecution under this subsection if the ambulance service is provided:
(1) 
By another governmentally owned ambulance service operating pursuant to an interlocal agreement for mutual assistance;
(2) 
By a private firm operating under a contract with the City of Irving which specifically allows in writing the provision of ambulance service at the request of the fire chief;
(3) 
By a firm operating an auxiliary ambulance licensed by the City of Irving and providing such service to a special event as required by this chapter; or
(4) 
By a firm operating an auxiliary ambulance licensed by the City of Irving which firm was requested to provide emergency ambulance in a specific instance by the chief of the fire department or his designee.
(b) 
Fee.
(1) 
The following fees shall be charged per trip for the transportation by emergency ambulance of a resident to a hospital:
Service
Fee
Basic Life Support (BLS)
$750
Advanced Life Support (ALS) 1
$850
Advanced Life Support (ALS) 2
$950
(2) 
The following fees shall be charged per trip for the transportation by emergency ambulance of a resident sixty-five (65) years of age or older to a hospital:
Service
Fee
Basic Life Support (BLS)
$650
Advanced Life Support (ALS) 1
$750
Advanced Life Support (ALS) 2
$850
(3) 
The following fees shall be charged per trip for the transportation by emergency ambulance of a non-resident to a hospital:
Service
Fee
Basic Life Support (BLS)
$850
Advanced Life Support (ALS) 1
$950
Advanced Life Support (ALS) 2
$1,050
(4) 
Consumables used by the ambulance personnel to treat an individual that is transported to a hospital by emergency ambulance shall be charged at a rate of thirty (30) percent above cost.
(5) 
A fee of fifteen dollars ($15.00) per mile shall be charged for the transportation by emergency ambulance of a person to a hospital.
(6) 
A fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00) shall be charged for advanced treatment/no transport of a resident.
(7) 
A fee of one hundred and fifty dollars ($150.00) shall be charged for advanced treatment/no transport of a non-resident.
(8) 
A technology fee of five dollars ($5.00) per patient will be added to each transport bill in order to recoup costs of electronic patient data capture.
(9) 
The city shall accept as full payment of the fee, required by this section, the money paid as the "allowable charge" pursuant to a proper claim by an eligible patient under Medicare or Medicaid.
(10) 
For ambulance services fees occurring on or after October 1, 2019, the city may waive the fees under this section if a determination is made that the patient qualifies as a charity care patient pursuant to federal or state law in accordance with the City of Irving Charity Care Policy and Guidelines, as amended.
(c) 
Responsibility for payment of fee.
The person receiving emergency ambulance service and any person contracting for the service shall be responsible for payment of the fee. In the case of service received by a minor, the parent or guardian of the minor shall be responsible for payment of the fee.
(Ordinance 3360, § 1, adopted 9/27/1979; Ordinance 4686, § 1, adopted 5/30/1985; Ordinance 5287, § 1, adopted 9/10/1987; Ordinance 6165, § 1, adopted 9/9/1992; Ordinance 6326, § 1, adopted 9/23/1993; Ordinance 7379, § 1, adopted 12/17/1998; Ordinance 7713, § 1, adopted 9/28/2000; Ordinance 8049, § 1, adopted 9/19/2002; Ordinance 8227, § 1, adopted 9/18/2003; Ordinance 8850, § 1, adopted 9/6/2007; Ordinance 2009-9104, § 1, adopted 8/6/2009; Ordinance 2016-9842, § 1, adopted 9/8/2016; Ordinance 2019-10275, § 1, adopted 10/24/2019)
[1]
Editor's note—For purposes of classification, the editor has redesignated § 5-15 as § 5-02.
For the purpose of this article, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:
Nonresident
means those individuals who have a permanent residential address outside the city limits of the City of Irving at the time that treatment and/or transportation is rendered.
Resident
means those individuals who have a permanent residential address within the city limits of the City of Irving at the time that treatment and/or transportation is rendered.
(Ordinance 8850, § 1, adopted 9/6/2007)
For the purpose of this article, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section:
Auxiliary ambulance
means any motor vehicle constructed, equipped and used for transferring the injured, sick or deceased under circumstances which do not constitute an emergency and which have not been represented as an emergency, or which does provide emergency ambulance service to a participant, spectator or other person present on the premises where a special event is being held.
Emergency
means any circumstances that calls for immediate action and in which the element of time in transporting the sick, wounded or injured for medical treatment is essential to the health or life of the person. Such circumstances include, but are not limited to, accidents generally, traffic accidents, and acts of violence resulting in personal injury, and sudden illnesses.
Nonresident
means a person who, at the time he or she is transported by emergency ambulance to a hospital, states, or for whom a responsible person states, that he or she does not live in Irving, Texas, or for whom no address is ascertainable.
Person,
as used in this article, shall include both singular and plural and shall mean and embrace any individual, firm, corporation, association or partnership.
Resident
means any person who, at the time he or she is transported by emergency ambulance to a hospital, states, or about whom a responsible person states, that he or she lives in Irving, Texas.
Special event
means:
(1) 
Any gathering of people which is required by federal or state law to have an emergency ambulance standing by on the premises where the event is being held; or
(2) 
Any gathering of people which is required by the regulations of a public or semi-public organization such as but not limited to the National Football League, the National Collegiate Athletic Association or the University Interscholastic League to have an emergency ambulance standing by on the premises where the event is being held; or
(3) 
Any concert, festival, theatrical performance, or athletic event at which more than five thousand (5,000) people are reasonably expected to gather or do gather to observe the event in person.
(Ordinance 3611, § 1, adopted 2/19/1981; Ordinance 7379, § 1, adopted 12/17/1998; Ordinance 7713, § 2, adopted 9/28/2000)
No person shall operate for patient pickup in the city or permit to be operated for patient pickup in the city an auxiliary ambulance without having first obtained a license to operate such ambulance issued pursuant to this chapter.
(Ordinance 3611, § 1, adopted 2/19/1981; Ordinance 7379, § 1, adopted 12/17/1998)
(a) 
Any person desiring to operate one (1) or more auxiliary ambulances within the city shall submit to the fire department an annual nonproratable license fee of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) and an application containing the following information:
(1) 
The name of the applicant;
(2) 
Whether the applicant is an individual, corporation, partnership or association;
(3) 
The number, kind and type of vehicles proposed to be operated by applicant as auxiliary ambulances, the manner in which same are to be equipped and an identifying number of each; and
(4) 
Such other information as may be necessary to administer this article.
(b) 
Upon receipt of the license fee and a proper application, the fire department shall either cause an inspection to be made of each vehicle proposed for operation in the city or require the applicant to provide evidence that each such vehicle is the subject of a valid City of Dallas auxiliary ambulance license, and upon such proof that each ambulance meets the requirements of this article shall issue to applicant for a license for each auxiliary ambulance authorizing applicant to operate such auxiliary ambulance for the period of time beginning with the date of issuance of the license and ending on the next thirty-first day of December. Such license shall be evidenced by a sticker or other decal as specified by the fire chief, and displayed as required by the fire chief.
(Ordinance 3611, § 1, adopted 2/19/1981; Ordinance 7379, § 1, adopted 12/17/1998)
(a) 
Each auxiliary ambulance shall be equipped so that as a minimum it is in conformance with those requirements contained in Article 4590b, V.A.T.C.S.
(b) 
Safety mechanisms of the auxiliary ambulance must be operative and in good repair, including but not limited to, headlights, taillights, turn signals, brakes, brake lights, emergency lights, windshield wipers, wipe blades, handles opening doors and windows, tires and spare tire.
(Ordinance 3611, § 1, adopted 2/19/1981; Ordinance 7379, § 1, adopted 12/17/1998)
(a) 
An auxiliary ambulance may be inspected at any hour by the fire chief, or his duly authorized agent, and he may require such auxiliary ambulance to proceed to a specified location for such inspection.
(b) 
Any auxiliary ambulance not meeting the safety requirements, or any equipment not meeting the standards required for the use of such equipment, shall be tagged by the fire chief, or his duly authorized agent, and shall not be used until the deficiencies are corrected. Use of such auxiliary ambulance or such equipment while tagged shall constitute a violation of this article.
(Ordinance 3611, § 1, adopted 2/19/1981; Ordinance 7379, § 1, adopted 12/17/1998)
A person operating an auxiliary ambulance licensed under this article may, upon the request of the chief of the fire department or his duly authorized representative, operate such ambulance on an emergency basis and upon so operating such ambulance and after submission of the name, address, telephone number of the patient and such other information reasonably necessary for the city to bill the person financially responsible for such ambulance service, the city shall reimburse the auxiliary ambulance license holder the amount charged by the city for such service in the event a patient is actually transported and one-half (½) of such amount if a response is made to the call but no patient is transported.
(Ordinance 3611, § 1, adopted 2/19/1981; Ordinance 7379, § 1, adopted 12/17/1998)
As the provisions of this chapter govern fire safety, zoning, public health, or sanitation, a violation of any of the provisions of this chapter shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000.00).
Each day any violation of any provision of this chapter continues shall constitute a separate offense.
(Ordinance 5853, § 3, adopted 9/6/1990; Ordinance 7379, § 1, adopted 12/17/1998)
Auxiliary ambulance services shall provide written notification to the fire department of the date, time and location of any contract service for special events as described in subsection 5-1(4) a minimum of ten (10) days prior to said event.
(Ordinance 7379, § 1, adopted 12/17/1998)
Auxiliary ambulance services shall maintain management of an incident until such time as fire department personnel arrive on location. At such time, management will become responsibility of fire department personnel and the auxiliary ambulance service will be responsible to senior fire department personnel on location.
(Ordinance 7379, § 1, adopted 12/17/1998)
A license may be revoked by the city council for violation of the terms of the license or permit; or for violation of this chapter.
(Ordinance 7379, § 1, adopted 12/17/1998)
(a) 
The hearing on revocation shall not be held until at least ten (10) days' notice of the hearing has been given to the holder of the auxiliary ambulance license in question by delivery to the holder's principle place of business in the city. Such notice shall:
(1) 
Specify the time and place of the hearing; and
(2) 
List the reasons why the general welfare of the city requires the revocation and cancellation of such operating authority.
(b) 
The holder in question shall be allowed:
(1) 
To be present at such hearing;
(2) 
To be represented by counsel; and
(3) 
To have full opportunity to disprove any charges and allegations set out against him in the notice.
(c) 
Such hearing may be conducted by the city council or any agent, employee or representative designated by it. If conducted by an agent, employee or representative, then upon approval and adoption of the city council of findings of fact made by the person conducting such hearing, such findings of fact so approved and adopted shall be and become the findings of the city council. If the findings of fact made after such hearing show that the operator is not a fit and proper person to conduct such business, or is unable to pay in full reasonable claims for damages which might be asserted or for any reason the general welfare of the citizens of the city for the best interest of the city will be served best by such action, then the city council shall revoke and cancel the operating authority in question, and there shall be no appeal of any nature from such action.
(Ordinance 7379, § 1, adopted 12/17/1998)
(a) 
It shall be unlawful for the holder of an auxiliary ambulance license to operate an auxiliary ambulance unless said holder shall maintain in force during the authorized period of its license the amount and character of insurance coverage for all motor vehicles used in the auxiliary ambulance service as follows:
(1) 
A three hundred thousand dollar ($300,000.00) per occurrence combined single-limit liability policy with a deductible not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) which shall pay on behalf of the insured named therein and any other person, as insured, using any such motor vehicle or motor vehicles with the express or implied permission of such named insured, all sums which the insured shall become legally obtained to pay as damage arising out of the operation of the auxiliary ambulance service or the ownership, maintenance or use of such motor vehicles or motor vehicles operated by independent contractors or vehicles operated for or on behalf of the license holder;
(2) 
Be carried with an insurance company authorized to do business in the state and rated by Best's Key Rating Guide as "A" or an insurance company licensed and authorized to do business in the state in the form prescribed or approved by the state board of insurance which is a subscriber to the state guaranty fund established by the state board of insurance or if the required insurance is not reasonably available from a company so qualified, the applicable rating and specific company shall be approved by the City of Irving risk manager;
(3) 
Include a cancellation rider under which the insurance company is required to notify the city in writing not fewer than thirty (30) days before canceling or making a material change to the insurance policy;
(4) 
Provides that the city is an additional named insured;
(5) 
Provides coverage for all ambulances operating under the name of the license holder whether said ambulances are owned, leased, hired or contracted and liability coverage for the drivers operating said ambulances, whether on or off duty;
(6) 
Contain a provision for a continuing liability thereon up to the full amount thereof, notwithstanding any recovery thereon;
(7) 
The insurance policy required by this chapter shall be filed with the fire chief five (5) working days prior to the time any of the ambulances operated by the license holder may be operated upon city streets; and
(8) 
Prior to the time the license holder may operate any ambulance upon the streets of the city, the holder must secure written confirmation from the city that the policy meets the requirements of this section.
(Ordinance 7379, § 1, adopted 12/17/1998)