(1) An ambulance operation shall do all of the following:

    (a) Except as provided in section 20921a, provide at least 1 ambulance available for response to requests for emergency assistance on a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week basis in accordance with local medical control authority protocols.

    (b) Respond or ensure that a response is provided to each request for emergency assistance originating from within the bounds of its service area.

    (c) Operate under the direction of a medical control authority or the medical control authorities with jurisdiction over the ambulance operation.

    (d) Notify the department immediately of a change that would alter the information contained on its application for an ambulance operation license or renewal.

    (e) Subject to section 20920(7) to (12) and section 20921a, provide life support consistent with its license and approved local medical control authority protocols to each emergency patient without prior inquiry into ability to pay or source of payment.

    (2) An ambulance operation shall not do any of the following:

    (a) Knowingly provide a person with false or misleading information concerning the time at which an emergency response will be initiated or the location from which the response is being initiated.

    (b) Induce or seek to induce any person engaging an ambulance to patronize a long-term care facility, mortuary, or hospital.

    (c) Advertise, or permit advertising of, within or on the premises of the ambulance operation or within or on an ambulance, the name or the services of an attorney, accident investigator, nurse, physician, long-term care facility, mortuary, or hospital. If 1 of those persons or facilities owns or operates an ambulance operation, the person or facility may use its business name in the name of the ambulance operation and may display the name of the ambulance operation within or on the premises of the ambulance operation or within or on an ambulance.

    (d) Advertise or disseminate information for the purpose of obtaining contracts under a name other than the name of the person holding an ambulance operation license or the trade or assumed name of the ambulance operation.

    (e) If the ambulance operation is operating under an ambulance operation upgrade license issued under section 20920(7) to (12), advertise or otherwise hold itself out as a full-time transporting limited advanced life support service or a full-time transporting advanced life support service unless the ambulance operation actually provides those services on a 24-hour-per-day, 7-day-a-week basis.

    (3) Except as provided in subsection (4) and section 20921a, an ambulance operation shall not operate, attend, or permit an ambulance to be operated while transporting a patient unless the ambulance is, at a minimum, staffed as follows:

    (a) If designated as providing basic life support, with at least 1 emergency medical technician and 1 medical first responder.

    (b) If designated as providing limited advanced life support, with at least 1 emergency medical technician specialist and 1 emergency medical technician.

    (c) If designated as providing advanced life support, with at least 1 paramedic and 1 emergency medical technician.

    (4) An ambulance operation that is licensed to provide advanced life support and has more than 1 ambulance licensed under its operation may operate an ambulance licensed to provide basic life support or limited advanced life support at a higher level of life support if all of the following are met:

    (a) The ambulance operation has at least 1 ambulance under its operation that is properly staffed and available to provide advanced life support on a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week basis.

    (b) The licensed personnel required to operate at that higher level of life support are available at the scene and in the ambulance during the patient transport to provide life support to that patient at that higher level.

    (c) The ambulance meets all equipment and communication requirements to operate at that higher level of life support.

    (d) The ambulance operation that is unable to respond to a request for emergency assistance immediately requests assistance pursuant to protocols established by the local medical control authority and approved by the department under this part.

    (5) Except as provided in subsection (6), an ambulance operation shall ensure that an emergency medical technician, an emergency medical technician specialist, or a paramedic is in the patient compartment of an ambulance while transporting an emergency patient.

    (6) Subsection (5) does not apply to the transportation of a patient by an ambulance if the patient is accompanied in the patient compartment of the ambulance by an appropriate licensed health professional designated by a physician and after a physician-patient relationship has been established as prescribed in this part or the rules promulgated by the department under this part.