Narcotics: Certified ALS personnel (paramedics and RNs) functioning under

Narcotics: Certified ALS personnel (paramedics and RNs) functioning under approved medical control jurisdiction may be issued approved controlled substances for pre-hospital use upon the discretion of the off-line medical director. For ALS services that are not hospital-based, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) requires the off-line medical director to secure a separate CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE to store, issue and prescribe controlled substances to ALS personnel. This CERTIFICATE should list the medical director as a "practitioner" at the physical address of the ambulance service where the drugs are stored. The off-line medical director will determine who may issue and administer the controlled substances and who will have access to storage of these narcotics. #24068 1. Controlled substances must be secured in accordance with applicable state and federal regulations. The paramedic's narcotics should be secured in a designated location when he is not on duty and actively functioning under the service's medical control. When on duty, each paramedic should keep his controlled drugs in his immediate possession or securely locked in the vehicle at all times. 2. Whenever an order is received from medical control for administration of a narcotic, the paramedic must keep track of the vial/ampule being utilized. If the full amount of the narcotic was not administered, the remainder must be wasted in the presence of a witness and the witness must sign the patient report documenting the same. The witness should preferably be a licensed health care provider who is authorized to administer narcotics themselves. 3. Narcotics should be replaced and logged within 24 hours of administration. Narcotics logs should be maintained by the ALS service. Paramedics should individually document the following minimum information in the narcotics log: Date of administration; Time of administration; Amount administered; Amount wasted; Witness to wasted amount; Patient's name; Call number; Ordering physician 4. Any paramedic/RN that is separated from the ALS service's medical control authority shall surrender his narcotics upon demand or be subject to prosecution under applicable statutes