Section 122-B. General ambulance services

1. Any county, city, town or
  village, acting  individually  or  jointly,  may  provide  an  emergency
  medical  service,  a  general ambulance service or a combination of such
  services for the purpose  of  providing  prehospital  emergency  medical
  treatment  or  transporting  sick  or  injured  persons found within the
  boundaries of the municipality to  a  hospital,  clinic,  sanatorium  or
  other  place  for  treatment  of  such  illness  or injury, and for that
  purpose may:
    (a) Acquire by gift or purchase one or more  motor  vehicles  suitable
  for  such  purpose and supply and equip the same with such materials and
  facilities as  it  may  consider  necessary  for  prehospital  emergency
  treatment,  and  may operate, maintain, repair and replace such vehicles
  and such supplies and equipment;
    (b) Contract with one or  more  individuals,  municipal  corporations,
  associations,  or  other  organizations,  having  sufficient trained and
  experienced personnel, for operation, maintenance  and  repair  of  such
  emergency  medical  service or ambulance vehicles and for the furnishing
  of prehospital emergency treatment;
    (c) Contract with one or  more  individuals,  municipal  corporations,
  associations,   or  other  organizations  to  supply,  staff  and  equip
  emergency medical  service  or  ambulance  vehicles  suitable  for  such
  purposes  and  operate  such  vehicles for the furnishing of prehospital
  emergency treatment;
    (d) Employ any combination of the methods authorized in paragraph (a),
  (b) or (c);
    (e) No contract shall be entered into pursuant to  the  provisions  of
  this section for the services of an emergency rescue and first aid squad
  of  a fire department or fire company which is subject to the provisions
  of section two hundred nine-b of the general municipal law;
    (f) Consider prehospital emergency treatment as that care provided  by
  certified  emergency medical technicians or certified advanced emergency
  medical technicians certified pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  article
  thirty of the public health law.
    1-a. As used in this section:
    (a)  "Emergency  medical technician" means an individual who meets the
  minimum requirements established  by  regulations  pursuant  to  section
  three  thousand  two of the public health law and who is responsible for
  administration or supervision of initial  emergency  medical  assistance
  and handling and transportation of sick, disabled or injured persons.
    (b) "Advanced emergency medical technician" means an emergency medical
  technician  who  has  satisfactorily  completed  an  advanced  course of
  training approved by the state council  under  regulations  pursuant  to
  section three thousand two of the public health law.
    2. Such municipality shall formulate rules and regulations relating to
  the  use  of  such apparatus and equipment in the provision of emergency
  medical services or ambulance service and may fix a schedule of fees  or
  charges  to  be  paid  by persons requesting the use of such facilities.
  Such municipalities may provide for the  collection  of  such  fees  and
  charges  or  may  formulate  rules  and  regulations  for the collection
  thereof by the individuals,  municipal  corporations,  associations,  or
  other  organizations  furnishing  service  under contract as provided in
  paragraph (c) of subdivision one of this section.
    3. Such municipality may purchase or  provide  insurance  indemnifying
  against  liability for the negligent operation of such emergency medical
  service or ambulance service and the negligent use of other equipment or
  supplies incidental to the furnishing of such emergency medical  service
  or ambulance service.

    4.   Such   municipality   may  provide  for  the  administration  and
  coordination of such emergency  medical  service  or  ambulance  service
  including   but  not  limited  to  operation  of  an  emergency  medical
  communications system and medical control.
    5.  Fire  districts, which, as part of a fire protection contract, may
  provide general ambulance and/or emergency ambulance service pursuant to
  section two hundred nine-b of this chapter and  article  thirty  of  the
  public  health  law where a town or village has not designated itself as
  the primary  provider  of  or  otherwise  contracted  for  an  emergency
  ambulance, a general ambulance service, or a combination of such service
  acting   individually   or  jointly,  may  contract  with  one  or  more
  individuals,  municipal  corporations,  or  other  organizations  having
  sufficient  trained  personnel, vehicles or combination of personnel and
  vehicles suitable to provide prehospital emergency  treatment,  for  the
  furnishing  of  supplemental  personnel,  equipment  or service to cover
  instances or periods of  time  when  its  service  may  not  be  readily
  available.