The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services (Department) is issuing the final Administrative Requirement (AR), AR 5-399 EFR BLS-Level Vehicle Equipment List. This AR lists the equipment an EMT responding on an EFR vehicle could be called upon to need, in order to provide care under the Statewide Treatment Protocols.
Remember that “EFR” (which stands for “EMS first response”) has been defined in the Massachusetts EMS statute since 2000, and in the EMS regulations since 2003. The Department has jurisdiction over EFR services, which it licenses, as well as EFR vehicles, which it certifies. There is no inspection fee for an EFR vehicle at the BLS level. The concept of EFR is separate from first responder agencies and first responder vehicles.
This AR only addresses vehicles that have been certified by the Department as an EFR vehicle at the BLS level. It does not apply to first responder vehicles that have not been so certified. There are two categories of Department-licensed entities that may have EFR vehicles: 1) EFR services licensed at the BLS or ALS level (there are only a handful of these in the Commonwealth), and 2) ambulance services – which under the EMS regulations may provide EFR service at or below their level of licensure, have chosen to do so, and have certain of their vehicles certified by the Department as an EFR vehicle at the BLS level.
If, for example, a fire department is licensed as an EFR service or ambulance service and obtains OEMS certification of an EFR vehicle at the BLS level, in order to deploy as an EFR vehicle at the BLS level (which would be staffed by an EMT or EMTs), then this AR would apply to that vehicle.