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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. -2- (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 -3- 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 -4- � 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 _�_