Emergency ambulance employees: subsidized protective gear.

Existing law establishes a statewide system for emergency medical services and establishes the Emergency Medical Services Authority, which is responsible for establishing training, scope of practice, and continuing education for emergency medical technicians and other prehospital personnel. Existing law, the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973, imposes safety responsibilities on employers and employees, including requirements that every employer furnish and use safety devices and safeguards, and adopt and use practices that are reasonably adequate to render the employment and place of employment safe and healthful. Existing law makes a violation of those requirements a crime. This bill would require an emergency ambulance provider to establish a voluntary personal protective equipment (PPE) program that allows for the purchase of subsidized multithreat body protective gear that is bullet, strike, slash, and stab resistant by an emergency ambulance employee pursuant to an employer-funded stipend, and authorize an employee to voluntarily participate in a PPE program and to wear the PPE while on duty. The bill would require a provider to inform an employee of the opportunity to purchase subsidized multithreat body protective gear through a PPE program. By creating new duties for emergency ambulance providers, a violation of which would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would not apply to the state or a political subdivision of the state. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.