As used in this article 3.5, unless the context otherwise requires:
"Air ambulance" means a fixed-wing or rotor-wing aircraft that is equipped to provide air transportation and is specifically designed to accommodate the medical needs of individuals who are ill, injured, or otherwise mentally or physically incapacitated and who require in-flight medical supervision.
(1.3) "Air ambulance service" means any public or private entity that uses an air ambulance to transport patients to a medical facility.
(1.5) "Ambulance" means any privately or publicly owned ground vehicle:
Especially constructed or modified and equipped, intended to be used, and maintained or operated by an ambulance service for the transportation, upon the streets and highways in this state, of individuals who are sick, injured, or otherwise incapacitated or helpless; and
That is required to be licensed pursuant to part 3 of this article.
(Deleted by amendment, L. 2005, p. 1330, § 1, effective July 1, 2005.)
"Ambulance service" means the furnishing, operating, conducting, maintaining, advertising, or otherwise engaging in or professing to be engaged in the transportation of patients by ambulance. Taken in context, it also means the person so engaged or professing to be so engaged. The person so engaged and the vehicles used for the emergency transportation of persons injured at a mine are excluded from this definition when the personnel utilized in the operation of said vehicles are subject to the mandatory safety standards of the federal mine safety and health administration, or its successor agency.
"Board" means the state board of health created pursuant to section 25-1-103.
"Board of county commissioners" includes the governing body of any city and county.
(4.3) "Community integrated health care service" means the provision of certain out-ofhospital medical services, as determined by rule, that a community paramedic may provide.
"Community paramedic" means an emergency medical service provider who obtains an endorsement in community paramedicine pursuant to section 25-3.5-206.
"Department" means the department of public health and environment.
"Director" means the executive director of the department of public health and environment.
"Emergency" means any actual or self-perceived event which threatens life, limb, orwell-being of an individual in such a manner that a need for immediate medical care is created.
"Emergency medical practice advisory council" or "advisory council" means theemergency medical practice advisory council created in section 25-3.5-206.
"Emergency medical service provider" means an individual who holds a valid emergency medical service provider certificate or license issued by the department as provided in this article 3.5.
(8.3) "EMS agency patient care database" means the department's database containing records required to be submitted in accordance with section 25-3.5-501.
"Health information organization network" means an organization that overseesand governs the exchange of health-related information among organizations according to nationally recognized standards.
(8.8) "Medical direction" includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Approval of the medical components of treatment protocols and appropriate
prearrival instructions;
Routine review of program performance and maintenance of active involvement inquality improvement activities, including access to dispatch tapes as necessary for the evaluation of procedures;
Authority to recommend appropriate changes to protocols for the improvement ofpatient care; and
Provision of oversight for the ongoing education, training, and quality assurance forproviders of emergency care.
"Patient" means any individual who is sick, injured, or otherwise incapacitated orhelpless.
"Permit" means the authorization issued by the governing body of a local government with respect to an ambulance used or to be used to provide ambulance service in this state.
(10.6) "Refresher course program" means a program establishing a course of instruction designed to keep emergency medical service providers abreast of developments or new techniques in their profession, which course includes an examination administered at any time during or following the course to facilitate continuing evaluation of emergency medical service providers.
(10.8) "Registered emergency medical responder" means an individual who has successfully completed the training and examination requirements for emergency medical responders, who provides assistance to the injured or ill until more highly trained and qualified personnel arrive, and who is registered with the department pursuant to part 11 of this article.
"Rescue unit" means any organized group chartered by this state as a corporationnot for profit or otherwise existing as a nonprofit organization whose purpose is the search for and the rescue of lost or injured persons and includes, but is not limited to, such groups as search and rescue, mountain rescue, ski patrols (either volunteer or professional), law enforcement posses, civil defense units, or other organizations of governmental designation responsible for search and rescue.
(11.5) "Service agency" means a fixed-base or mobile prehospital provider of emergency medical services that employs emergency medical service providers to render medical care to patients.
"Volunteer emergency medical service provider" means an emergency medical service provider who does not receive direct remuneration for the performance of emergency medical services.
Source: L. 77: Entire article added, p. 1279, § 2, effective January 1, 1978. L. 80: (1) and (3) amended, p. 633, § 1, effective April 8. L. 84: (10.6) added, p. 763, § 1, effective July 1. L. 87: (12) added, p. 1126, § 1, effective July 1. L. 94: (5) and (6) amended, p. 2757, § 418, effective July 1. L. 2000: (3.5) and (11.5) added, p. 526, § 3, effective July 1. L. 2005: (1) and (2) amended and (1.5) added, p. 1330, § 1, effective July 1. L. 2010: (7.5) added, (HB 10-1260), ch. 403, p. 1944, § 6, effective July 1. L. 2012: (8), (10.6), (11.5), and (12) amended, (HB 121059), ch. 271, p. 1437, § 20, effective July 1. L. 2016: (1.3) added, (HB 16-1280), ch. 206, p. 736, § 1, effective June 1; (4.3) and (4.5) added, (SB 16-069), ch. 260, p. 1062, § 1, effective June 8; (10.8) added, (HB 16-1034), ch. 324, p. 1310, § 1, effective August 10. L. 2018: IP amended and (8.3) and (8.5) added, (HB 18-1032), ch. 63, p. 612, § 1, effective August 8. L. 2019: (8) amended, (SB 19-242), ch. 396, p. 3518, § 1, effective May 31; (8.8) added, (SB 19052), ch. 122, p. 527, § 1, effective August 2.
Editor's note: Subsection (8.8) is similar to § 25-3.5-203 (5) as it existed prior to 2019.
Cross references: For the legislative declaration contained in the 1994 act amending subsections (5) and (6), see section 1 of chapter 345, Session Laws of Colorado 1994.