Emergency Medical Services Board

The entire Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board advises the Mayor and Fire Division on emergency medical services matters and oversees the delivery of emergency medical services within the City of Akron and shall perform such other duties as the Mayor may assign.

Members 

The Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board shall consist of a total of nine members with two classifications of members: physician members and administrative members.

1. Physician Members. The three physician members shall include the Directors of Emergency Medicine from Summa Health Care System, Akron General Medical Center and Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron or their designees. A designated alternate for a hospital physician member shall be a physician member from the same department of emergency medicine.

2. Administrative Members. The six administrative members shall include the Mayor or his designee, at least two members of City Council and at least three private citizens. The Mayor shall appoint administrative members to the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board for two years beginning January 1 of odd-numbered years and subject to approval and confirmation by the Council. Incumbent members as of the effective date of this provision shall serve the remainder of the term of their original appointments. A member shall continue to serve after the expiration of his/her term until a successor takes office.

Functions

The entire Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board advises the Mayor and Fire Division on emergency medical services matters and oversees the delivery of emergency medical services within the City of Akron and enforces the provisions within this chapter and shall perform such other duties as the Mayor may assign. However, the physician members shall be solely responsible to develop and maintain appropriate emergency victim treatment procedures and protocol to be used by the Akron Fire Division paramedics; to adopt hospital emergency department protocol to be used by personnel of the Fire Division Emergency Medical Service and private ambulance companies; to review and recommend paramedic training requirements and to recommend other procedures or policies that contribute to the improved effectiveness or efficiency of emergency medical treatment and transport services provided within the city. Related to such medical advice and procedures:

1. Only physician members may vote on such items; and

2. The physician members' decisions shall be binding on the Akron Fire Division Emergency Medical Service.

3. Between meetings, the Akron EMS Medical Director has authority to change or suspend a medical protocol, to be effective until the next EMS board meeting, at which time the action would be reviewed by the physician members of the board. When this would occur, the EMS Medical Director shall consult and notify all physician members and other interested parties of the temporary changes.

See the City Code for more information.