Legal Authority: The Mississippi State Department of Health (the Department),

Legal Authority: The Mississippi State Department of Health (the Department), and specifically, the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (BEMS), is assigned responsibility for implementing and conducting the statewide emergency medical services (EMS) program under the direction of the State Health Officer (SHO) of the State Board of Health (the Board). BEMS provides the functional services required for implementing and conducting the same, including regulation and licensing of ambulance services; ensuring quality and compliance in matters related to ambulance licensure; inspection and issuance of permits for ambulances, special use vehicles, and non-emergency medical transport vehicles; approving EMS training and ensuring compliance in matters related to EMS education; certifying EMS personnel, including non-transport EMS personnel; ensuring quality and compliance in matters related to EMS certification; developing and maintaining the statewide EMS records program; ensuring the coordination of EMS communication systems, other related EMS activities, and implementing the regulations prescribed in this document (Title 15, Part 12, Subpart 31). BEMS licenses ambulance services by location and issues permits for vehicles operated by respective licensed ambulance services for use at specific locations. Licenses are not required for ambulance services intermittently stationing ambulance employees and vehicles, and which do not serve as points of contact for public business or for deployment. However, ambulance services which routinely operate across multiple and/or adjacent counties require an ambulance service license for each county. In these instances, licensure is required though there may not be a fixed identifiable location in each county. BEMS may, at its discretion, allow for exceptions, i.e. when an ambulance service from a single control point provides coverage for only portions of counties that are adjacent, only one license is required.