Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee

Total public member:              11           

Method of Appointment:         Appointed by Mayor           

Length of Appointment:         3 years

Residency:                               Strong preference for DC residents from all 8 wards

Paid board:                              No (all roles are voluntary)

There is established in the Executive Branch of the Government of the District of Columbia an Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee (hereinafter referred to as the "Committee").

The purpose of the Committee shall be to advise the Mayor, the Chief of the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, the Director of the Department of Health, the Director of the Department of Mental Health, and the Director of the Homeland Security Emergency Management Agency regarding issues related to providing emergency medical services in the District of Columbia.

The Committee shall:

A. Advise on the best practices in emergency medical services across the United States to assist in establishing performance goals for emergency medical services in the District;

B. Recommend standards, or revisions to existing standards, to be applied to the delivery of emergency medical services in accordance with the appropriate District, Federal, and Washington regional statutes, rules, regulations, and inter-jurisdictional agreements;

C. Advise on the development of a program of public information and education with respect to emergency medical services;

D. Advise on the development of an emergency medical data collection system for the District, and on the categorization of emergency facilities and services;

E. Advise on the coordination of District emergency medical services with those emergency medical service activities and projects coordinated through the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG);

F. Provide biennial comments on the operations of emergency medical services in the District; and

G. Undertake other duties as assigned by the Mayor, or his or her designee.

The Committee shall be comprised of twenty-two (22) members, sixteen (16) of which shall be voting members appointed by the Mayor, and shall include:

1. Two (2) representatives of hospitals, including trauma centers, located in the District;

2. One (1) representative of a professional medical organization concerned with emergency medical services;

3. One (1) representative of a professional health organization, or institution, concerned with emergency health services;

4. Three (3) representatives of labor organizations representing emergency medical services personnel;

5. One (1) representative of a commercial ambulance service; and

6. Eight (8) community representatives, including at least one (1) person representing each of the following:

a. Seniors and elders;

b. Persons with disabilities;

c. Persons with limited or no-English proficiency;

d. The Latino community;

e. The Asian and Pacific Islander community; and

f. The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT) community.

The non-voting ex officio members shall be as follows:

1. The Director of the Department of Health, or his or her designee;

2. The Director of the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, or his or her designee;

3. The Director of the Department of Mental Health, or his or her designee;

4. The Director of the Homeland Security Emergency Management Agency, or his or her designee;

5. The Director of the Department of Human Services, or his or her designee; and

6. The Mayor's Policy Advisor on Health and Human Services.

Each of the members appointed shall serve for a term of three (3) years, except that, of the initial appointees, six (6) shall serve a three year term, five (5) shall serve a two (2) year term and five (5) shall serve a one (1) year term. The ex officio members of the Committee shall serve, at the pleasure of the Mayor.

The Mayor may remove any member who fails to attend two (2) unexcused, consecutive meetings. The Chairperson shall remove a member who fails to attend three (3) consecutive meetings.

The Mayor shall appoint members to fill vacancies in an unexpired term only for the remainder of the unexpired time of the term. A member may serve beyond the end of their terms until reappointed, or replaced, by the Mayor.

The Mayor shall appoint a Chairperson of the Committee from among the appointed members of the Committee. The Chairperson shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor.