Findings and purpose

The legislature finds that the establishment of a state emergency medical services system, including emergency medical services for children, is a matter of compelling state interest and necessary to protect and preserve public health. A system designed to reduce medical emergency deaths, injuries, and permanent long-term disability through the implementation of a fully integrated, cohesive network of components, the legislature further finds, will best serve public health needs. Accordingly, the purpose of this part is to establish and maintain a state emergency medical services system in communities that can be most effectively served by the State, and to fix the responsibility for the administration of this state system, which shall provide for the arrangement of personnel, facilities, and equipment for the effective and coordinated delivery of health care services under emergency conditions, whether occurring as the result of a patient's condition, from natural disasters, or from other causes. The system shall provide for personnel, personnel training, communications, emergency transportation, facilities, coordination with emergency medical and critical care services, coordination and use of available public safety agencies, promotion of consumer participation, accessibility to care, mandatory standard medical recordkeeping, consumer information and education, independent review and evaluation, disaster linkage, mutual aid agreements, and other components necessary to meet the purposes of this part.