NY S04020

Designates general ambulance services as essential services that counties, cities, towns, and villages must ensure are provided, with exemption for cities with populations of one million or more.

Authorizes creation of special districts for financing and operating general ambulance services, following procedures required for fire districts under Town Law articles 11 and 11-A.

Prohibits new ambulance districts from overlapping with existing districts unless the existing district is merged into the new one, and requires county approval before any municipality can eliminate or dissolve a pre-existing ambulance district.

Requires the state emergency medical services council to develop and maintain a statewide comprehensive emergency medical system plan, reviewed and updated every five years, with counties and regional councils developing complementary plans incorporating all certified ambulance services.

Establishes standards for emergency medical system training programs, with the regional EMS council for New York City granted authority to set training requirements and care delivery protocols for the city's 911 system.