(a) No person, either as owner, agent or otherwise, shall furnish, operate, conduct, maintain, advertise or otherwise engage in or profess to engage in the business or service of transporting patients upon the streets, highways or airways within this state, or the provision of emergency medical services in the state, unless such person complies with this part and regulations pursuant to this part.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 68-140-306

  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • Ambulance: means any privately or publicly owned land or air vehicle that is especially designed, constructed or modified and equipped and is intended to be used for and is maintained or operated for transportation upon the streets, highways or airways in this state for persons who are sick, injured, wounded, otherwise incapacitated, helpless, or in need of medical care. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Ambulance service: means the principal use of any privately or publicly owned ambulance for the transportation of injured or infirm persons. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Authorization: means any and all forms of official permission required by this part, including licenses, permits and certificates. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Board: means the Tennessee emergency medical services board. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Department: means the department of health. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • License: means an authorization to a person to provide ambulance services. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Month: means a calendar month. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Permit: means an authorization issued for an ambulance vehicle as meeting the standards adopted pursuant to this part. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Person: means any individual, association, organization or any other business entity, either profit or nonprofit, any state or local governmental entity, and federal agencies to the extent permitted by federal law. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Practice: means the exercise of principles and skills for effective emergency medical care under medical direction recognized as acts and responsibilities within the discipline of emergency medical services. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Service: means the provision of organized response by ambulances or emergency response vehicles, or the provision of emergency care on an organized basis. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • State: means the state of Tennessee. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) When an employee/member of a not-for-profit service licensed in another state, which at the request of a county or municipal government regularly operates in Tennessee, is certified as a class of emergency medical provider that has no equivalent in Tennessee, that person shall be allowed to practice at such person’s level of certification in such other state when acting in Tennessee as an employee/member of that service.
(c) Any person desiring to be licensed, permitted or certified shall apply to the department on forms approved by the board, accompanied by the appropriate fee. The application shall contain such information as the board deems necessary for evaluation.
(d) Prior to issuance of any license under this part, the department shall cause to be inspected each ambulance service or emergency medical service, specifically vehicles, equipment, personnel, records, premises and operational procedures, annually, or whenever such inspection is deemed necessary. The periodic inspection shall be in addition to any other state or local safety or motor vehicle inspection required for ambulances or other motor vehicles under general law or ordinances.
(e) Renewal of any authorization issued under this part may be accomplished by paying an appropriate fee, submitting a renewal application, and otherwise complying with the applicable rules of the board.
(f)

(1) Except as provided in subdivision (f)(2), a separate license is required for each service, county specific for each base of operations, and a separate permit required for each vehicle authorized for operation pursuant to this part. Licenses and permits shall expire on June 30 of the year after issuance. Those ambulance services that are licensed by operating in multiple county jurisdictions on July 1, 2007, shall be eligible to obtain the licenses for those identified counties of operation by remitting the appropriate service application renewal fee.
(2)

(A) This part does not require an ambulance service that holds a valid and unencumbered license to operate in one (1) or more counties in this state to hold a license specific to, or establish a base of operations in, a county for which that ambulance service is not licensed in order to provide a secondary mental health transport to, from, or through that county.
(B) As used in this section, “secondary mental health transport” means the transportation of an individual from one (1) healthcare facility to another healthcare facility for the purposes of mental health evaluation or treatment.
(g) An ambulance service may renew the service license within sixty (60) days following the license expiration date upon payment of the renewal fee in addition to a late penalty established by the board for each month or fraction of a month that payment for renewal is late; provided, that the late penalty shall not exceed twice the renewal fee. If the ambulance service license is not renewed within sixty (60) days following the license expiration date, then the licensee shall reapply for licensure in accordance with the rules established by the board.
(h) The issuance of any authorization under this part shall not be construed so as to authorize any person to provide ambulance services or to operate any ambulance not in conformity with any ordinance or regulation enacted by any county, municipality or special purpose district or authority. No county or municipality shall adopt standards less stringent than state standards and regulations.
(i) Any service licensed in good standing in another state and based in that jurisdiction outside this state, that, at the request of a county or municipality, renders emergency medical services in this state, shall be exempt from licensure and authorized to operate, if the service agrees to subject itself to the jurisdiction of the emergency medical services board and the courts of this state in any matter arising from the conduct of ambulance service in this state, and submits a sworn affidavit providing the name, address, location of service, operating officers, and the nature of service to be provided; however, employees of such services shall be licensed in this state as provided by this part. Employees of a service rendering emergency medical services at a major scheduled public event in this state at the request of a county or municipality, as provided in this part, shall be deemed licensed in this state to the extent of their valid foreign license for the duration of the major scheduled public event and shall perform their services under the supervision of a physician licensed in this state.
(j) Notwithstanding another law to the contrary, an individual who has reached eighteen (18) years of age, has a valid driver license, and has completed an emergency vehicle operations class is eligible for service as an ambulance driver or operator. No further specialty endorsements are required.
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