North Dakota Quick Response Units

North Dakota Rescue Services

Availability  |  Staffing: Basic Life Support  |  Staffing: Advanced Life Support  |  Basic Life Support Equipment  |  Advanced Life Support Equipment |  Minimum Medication Requirements

North Dakota requires an annual licensure for all ground ambulance services. The fee for licensure is $25. Ambulance services may be licensed as either advanced life support or basic life support. The three major standards which must be met in order to be licensed involve availability, staffing and equipment.

Availability [top]
Ambulance services are required to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Licenses are not issued for transfer or non-emergency services.

Staffing [top]
Basic Life Support services must have a driver with CPR certification and an EMT-Basic ambulance attendant (or a grandfathered Advanced First Aid Ambulance attendant). A driver with no CPR certification may be used if a third person with CPR certification is added to the crew.

Advanced Life Support services must have a driver with EMT-Basic certification and an attendant with EMT-Paramedic certification. A registered nurse that is currently certified or licensed as an ECT or its equivalent with CPR and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certification may be used in place of the EMT-Paramedic.

Basic Life Support Equipment [top]
The minimum Basic Life Support Equipment is as follows:

1. Mounted ambulance cot with retaining straps.
2. Stretchers with retaining straps. Vehicle design dictates quantity.
3. Piped oxygen system - with regulator and flow meter, or two "E" size bottles for minimum oxygen supply with regulator and flow meter.
4. Portable oxygen unit with carrying case. To include one "D" size bottle with another "D" bottle in reserve.
5. Three nasal cannulas, three oxygen masks in assorted sizes, and three sets of oxygen supply tubing.
6. Suction - portable - capable of achieving 400 mmgh/4 seconds or less.
7. Bag valve mask type resuscitation unit in infant child and adult sizes with appropriate-sized face masks or pocket masks with oxygen inlet in pediatric and adult sizes.
8. Spine boards - one full-size and one half-size, with retaining straps.
9. Commercial fracture splints useable for open and closed fractures, or padded boards usable for pediatric and adult patients.
10. Cold packs - four minimum.
11. Fire extinguisher - dry chemical, mounted, five pound (2. 27 kilogram) minimum.
12. Head-to-board immobilization device.
13. Obstetrical kit - disposable or sterilizable.
14. Activated charcoal.
15. Two sterile burn sheets or equivalent.
16. Three triangular bandages or commercial slings.
17. Two trauma dressings - approximately 10 inches [25.4 centimeters] by 36 inches [91.44 centimeters].
18. Twenty-five sterile gauze pads - 4 inches [10.16 centimeters] by 4 inches [10.16 centimeters].
19. Twelve soft roller self-adhering type bandages - 5 yards [4.57 meters]  long.
20. One set of nasopharyngeal airways in adult and child sizes.
21. One set of oropharyngeal airways in adult, child, and infant sizes.
22. Two sterile occlusive dressings approximately three inches [76.2 millimeters] by nine inches [228.6 millimeters].
23. Four rolls of tape - assorted sizes.
24. Shears - blunt - two minimum.
25. Bedpan, emesis basin, urinal - single use or disinfected.
26. One gallon [3.79 liters] of distilled water or saline solution.
27. Intravenous fluid holder - cot mounted or ceiling hooks.
28. Flashlights - two minimum.
29. Three sharps containers.
30. Three red biohazard bags.
31. Small, medium and large cervical collars.
32. Two blankets, four sheets, two pillows, four towels.
33. Phenol disinfectant product, such as lystophene or amphyl.
34. Reflectorized flares for securing scene - set of three minimum.
35. Automatic defibrillator.
36. Blood pressure manometer, cuff in child, adult, and large adult sizes, and stethoscope.
37. Lower extremity traction splint.
38. Radio with the capability of meeting state emergency medical services standards as determined by the department.
39. Glutose or glucose - one dose for oral use.
40. Disposable gloves - one box each of small, medium, and large sizes.
41. Four disposable hot packs.
42. Personal protection equipment, such as mask, nonabsorbent gown, protective eyeware - minimum of four.
43. Biological fluid cleanup kit.

1. Cardiac defibrillator with pediatric capabilities.
2. Portable radio. Rechargeable battery operated capable of reaching law enforcement and hospitals.
3. Nebulizer with tubing.
4. Endotracheal airway equipment in pediatric and adult sizes.
5. Intravenous therapy equipment. Catheters, intraosseous needles, tubing, solutions, for both pediatric and adult patients as approved by medical director.
6. Glucose measuring device.
7. Syringes and needles.
8. Alcohol swabs.  Betadine swabs.
9. Electrocardiogram supplies. Rolls of electrocardiogram paper, monitor electrodes, and defibrillator pads.
10. Pediatric weight and length based drug dosage chart or tape.

Minimum Medication Requirements [top] 

The ambulance must carry the following functional classifications of medications in pediatric and adult dosages:

1. Alkalinizer.
2. Bronchodilator - adrenergic intravenous or subcutaneous.
3. Antidysrhythmic.
4. Anticholinergen parasympatholitic.
5. Opioid antagonist.
6. Coronary Vasodilator, antianginal.
7. Antianxiety.
8. Caloric.
9. Anticonvulsant.
10. Bronchodilator.
11. Narcotic.