HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD 1971-019 QRDINANCE NO. 71-19
AN �RDINANCE LZCENSING AND REGULATING flPERATORS OF
PRIVATE AMBULANCES PROHIBITING THE OPERATION OF ANY
AMBULANCE UPON THE PUBLIC �TREET� OF SAID CITY WITHOUT
HAVSNG (3BTASNED A LICENSE THERE�'dR; SETTING FORTFI THE
PROCEDURE BY WHIGH PRIVATE AMBiJLANCE AND PERSONS C?PERATING
SAME �HALL ACQUIRE AND MAINTAIN SUCH LICENSE; PROVIDING
REGULATIONS CONCERNING THE OPERATION OF SUCH AMBULANCES;
REGULATING THE SPEED THEREtJF, REQUIRING AMBULANCE TO BE
EQUIPPED WITH SIREN TO BE USED WfiILE ON EMERGENCY CALLS;
PROVIDING REGULATIONS CONCERNING THE OPERATION OF SUCH
AMBULANCESI REPEALING ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT HEREWITH;
FROVIDING A SAVINGS CLAUSE; PRESCRIBING PENAL'�IES FOR
THE VIOLATION HEREOF; PROVIDING THAT THE TERMS HEREIN
CONTAINED SHALL BE SEPARABLE, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
BE IT ORDAINED BY �'HE CITY C4UNCIL OF THE CITY QF
�RAPEVINE, TEXAS
SECTI�N l. DEFINITIC?N5: Ambulance sha11 mean any priva�.ely
awned vehicle equipped or used for transporting the wounded�
injured, sick and dead, and shall include emergency vehicles
used for such purposes and invalid caaches, but shall specifi-
cally exclude funeral coaches.
SECTION 2. LICENSE REQUIRED: It sha11 be unlawful �or any
persan to operate an ambulance on the streets of the City o£
Grapevine without first obtaining a license as hereinafter
provided fram the Secretary.
SECTION 3. APPLICATION FOR LICENSE: Applications for
licenses hereunder shall be made upon blank forms prepared by
the Secretary and shaZl cantain:
(A) The name and address o� -�he owner of the ambulance.
(B) A description of the ambulance, including the make,
model and year of manufacture, state license number
far the current year, motor and chassis numbers,
and the length of time the ambulance has been in use.
{C} The lacatian and description o� the place or places
from which it i� intended �o operate.
(D) Such other information as �he Secretary shall find
rea�onably necessary to a fair determination of
whe�her the terms af this ardinance have been
complied with.
SECTION 4. ISSUANCE OF LICENSE: Within 15 days a�ter
receipt o� the proper application as provided herein, the Secre-
tary shall cause an inves�igation to be made af the applicant
and his groposed operatian,
STANDARD� FQR ISSUANCE OF A PERMIT. The Seeretary
shall issue a license hereunder when he finds:
(A) Tha� the public con.venience and necessity re-
quires �he propased ambulance �ervice for which
the application ha� been submitted. And in de-
termining whether public canvenience and necessi�.y
requires the licensing of a praposed ambulance
service, the Secre�.ary shall consider whe�her the
public is, at �he time, adequately served, the
number, kin.d and type of equipmen�., the schedule
af rates proposed ta be charged, �.he increased
traffic congestion upon the streets of the City,
the demand for increased. parking space upon the
streets which will result, whether the sa�e use
of �he streets by the public, bath vehicular and
pedestrian, wi11 be preserved, and such other
facts a� the secretary shall Gonsider revelant.
(B) That the applicant propose to maintain a
sufficient number of ambulances with adequate
equipment �o e�ficiently serve the sa�ety and
welfare of the citizen� of the Ci�.y under the
terms and provisions hereof. Such license shall
be conditioned upon the maintenance o� the appli-
cant of the number of ambulance units tha� may
from time �o time be prescribed by the Ci�y.
(C) That all insurance policies required by this Ordi-
nance have been secured.
(D} That all vehicles to be lieensed are in good
mechanical repair and equipped wi�.h tires zn good
condition of a type and design suitable for the
transporting of the injured, to be di�tinctly
marked showing the name o� the licensee, to be
lieensed as an emergency vehicle under the rules
of the State Board of Health, and such vehicle to
include the minimum equipment for an ambulance as
required for an ambulance by the State Health
Department,
{E) That the applicant and all attendants and driver�
be fit and proper persons to conduct and work in
the praposed business, that the drivers thereof
are to have valid Texas Chauffeurs license, and
all personnel to be o� goad moral charac�er, su1�-
3ect ta review by the Chief o� Palice.
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(F} That all requiremen�s of this ordinance and al1
other governing law� and ardinances have been met.
SECTION 5. INSUR�NCE POLICY: An applicant hereunder
shall file with the Secre�ary an insuranoe policy to be approved
by the Secretary, providing insurance coverage for each and
every ambulance, awned, operated, and/or leased by the applicant
for injury to or death af per�ons in acciden�s resulting from
any cause for which the owner of said vehicle wauld be liable
an account of any liability imposed on him by law, regardless
of whether the ambulance wa� being driven by the owner, his
agent ar leasee, and as against damage to �he property af
anather, including persanal propertyr under like circumstances,
in sums to be approved by the Secretary.
l. Coverage: Every insurance policy required
hereunder shali extend for the period to be
cavered by the license applied for and the
insurer shali give not less than 5 days
written natice ta the secretary and the in-
sured before any cancellation or termination
thereaf earlier than its expiration date
and the cancellation or other termination
o� any �uch policy shall autamatically
revoke and terminate the license issued for
the ambulance covered by such policy, unless
ano�her insurance policy complying with the
pravisions of this sec�ian shall be provided
and be in effect at the �ime of �uch cancella-
tion or termination.
SECTION 6. COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW: The grantee
shall comply wi�h the law ot this state wi�h reference to permits,
license, minimum equipment, minimum qualificatians of opera�ars and
attendants.
SECTION 7. NOTIFYING POLICE OF EMERGENCY CALLS, USE OF
RED LIGHTS AND SIREN - SPEED, E"I'C. :
(1) It shall be unlawful ta drive an ambulance upon an
emergency call without first notifying the Police Depar�ment
of such an emergency call and ob�.aining permission and clearance
of such an emergency call.
(2} I� shall be unlawful to drive an ambularzce an an
emergency call within the City of Grapevine, Texas, at a rate
of speed of more than 10 miles per haur in excess o£ �.he Speed
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limits applicable to non-emergency vehicles. This provision
shall not relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle
�rom the duty to drive wi�h due regard for the safety of all
persan� using the street, nor shall it protect the driver af
any �uch vehicle from the can�equence of a reckless disregard
for the safety of others.
{3} It shall be unlawful to operate an the s�reets of
�he City af Grapevine any emergency vehicle unless same shall
be equipped with at least one (1) lighted revolving ar blinking
red light, visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a
distance af five hundred (500 ' ) feet in front of such vehicle,
and one {l) twelve (l2) volt siren; said red light and siren
�o be operated continuously while said emergency vehicle is
on an emergency call.
(4} The driver or the attendant of the emergency ambulance
shall report ta the Police dispatcher by telephone before leaving
�he hospital the name, age, address� drivers ' license number, and
to extent that he is able to do so, the �ype of injury or other
cause when required the emergency ambulance serviee.
t5? Any emergency ambulance service duly licensed hereunder
must apply to the City Secretary ta participate in an emergency
ambulance rotation service. If more than one company applies to
participate in this service, then the �ollawing regulations will
apply:
(A� Upon receipt af a request for emergency
ambulance service the radio dispatcher
�hall determine which ambulance service
will make this call by a rotation methad.
The Police Department shall maintain an
ambulance rotation li�t in alphabe�ical
order which shall can�ain the name and
addresses of each arnbulance service
company that complies with the provisians
of this Ordinance and has applied to
participate in such service in order tha�
said company migh� be called upon far
ambulance service by �he Police Department.
The Police Department receiving a call
for ambulance service shall call the first
ambulance company on the list to answer �he
call. After �he company at the top of the
list receives a call then the company' s
name shall be placed at the bottom o� the
list and the next company shall be moved
to the top of the list and it shall receive
calls. This process shall be repeated until
each company praviding ambulance service
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under the provisians af �his Qrdinance
has received �aiis an each ro�atian.
SECTIaN 8. PAYMENT FOR AMBULAf�CE SERVICE: Any person who
shall, with intent to def raud, request the servic�s of an
ambulance within the City of Grapevine �ar himself or far a
member af his family, having no intention to pay far the same,
and any persan who shall, with inten� ta defraud, accept for
himself the services of an ambulance within the Ci�y a� Grapevine,
having no in�ention o� paying for the same, shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor. The failure ta pay for such services within thirty
(30) days after they have been rendered, demand for such payment
having been made, shall be prima facie evidence of intentian not
to pay therefar, in vialatian of this Ordinance.
SECTION 9. PENALTY: Any person who shall aperate an
ambulance upan the public �treets of the City of Grapevine in
violation hereof shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and
upon conviction thereof, shall be fined in an amount of not less
than Ten Dollars ($10.Q0) nor more than Twa Hundred Dollars ($200. 00} .
Should any word, term ar pravisian herein contained be
declared invalid or unenforceable, such declaration sha11 have
no effect an any other ward, term or provision hereof, and to
this end the terms and provisions contained herein are declared
distinctly separable.
The fact that the City of Grapevine' s rules and regulatians
da nat pravide sufficiently far the Iicensing and regula�ion of
�uch ambulance service creates an emergency and renders it
necessary to waive and suspend any ordinanee or rule requiring
the readinq of this ardinance at more than ane meeting of the
City Cauncil of the City of Grapevine, Texas, and it is
accordingly so ordained.
All ordinances or portions of ordinances in conflict herecaith are
� hereby repealed.
PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE CIT� COUNCIL t3F TFiE CITY OF GRAPEVINE,
TEXAS, this the 24th day of May , 1971.
��,-�'�F f��..-.�.io
M A Y O R
City of Grapevine, Texas
ATTEST:
•y , _ , i' . ,, APF t�VED AS T4 FQRM:
. .` x; - �,�, � , f. _ _
City Secretary ` �
C�. y orney
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