The Emergency Health Services Act empowers the EMA Licensing Board to investigate complaints regarding paramedics and first responders. In addition, the Act also empowers the Board to make rules governing its own procedure.
Under the Board rules, notices for citations, extraordinary actions taken to protect the public, consent agreements, alternate dispute resolutions, Board hearing decisions and Board penalty decisions must be posted to the website.
Under the EMA Licensing Board Rules notice of upcoming hearings are posted at least 14 days before the discipline hearing and will be removed once the hearing is completed, if the hearing is cancelled, if the Board deems the hearing no longer necessary or the hearing is superseded by an agreement between the Board and the respondent.
If the licensing board considers the action necessary to protect the public during the investigation of an emergency medical assistant or until a hearing of the licensing board, it may (a) set limits or conditions on the practice of the profession by the emergency medical assistant, or (b) suspend the licence of the emergency medical assistant.
The Board may enter into a consent agreement with a respondent that requires the person under investigation to do one or more of the following: (a) undertake not to repeat the conduct to which the matter relates; (b) undertake to take educational courses or other remedial action as specified by the Board on the conditions that it directs; (c) consent to a reprimand; (d) undertake or consent to any other action specified by the Board.
At a hearing the Board may determine that the respondent: (a) has incompetently carried out the duties of an emergency medical assistant, (b) has breached a term or condition of their licence, or (c) suffers from a physical ailment, emotional disturbance or an addiction to alcohol or drugs that materially impairs their ability to act as an emergency medical assistant.
If the Board has made one or more determinations at a hearing, it may do one or more of the following: (a) impose conditions on the person's licence; (b) suspend the licence for a term the licensing board considers appropriate; (c) revoke the licence; or (d) bar the person from being licensed under this Act for a period the licensing board considers appropriate.