This bill amends the laws regarding emergency medical services in the following ways.

1. It makes the position of Director of Maine Emergency Medical Services a major policy-influencing position and deletes language that requires the Governor to set the director's salary.

2. It amends the definitions of "ambulance attendant," "basic emergency medical technician" and "protocol." It also creates new definitions for "first responder" and "Medical Direction and Practices Board."

3. It allows the Medical Direction and Practices Board to define protocols for the emergency medical services system.

4. It makes minor technical changes in the language regarding the minimum requirements for initial licensing of emergency medical services persons.

5. It allows flight nurses to care for patients being transported by ambulance from the scene of an emergency.

6. It allows the Emergency Medical Services' Board to hold rule-making hearings regionally using current technology such as video conferencing. It also makes it clear that the board may adopt rules establishing the requirements for certification, recertification and decertification of persons engaged in emergency medical services education and training.

7. It provides for the certification and decertification of emergency medical services persons on a statewide rather than a regional basis.

8. It expands the responsibilities of the Emergency Medical Services' Board to include the creation of a statewide quality assurance and improvement committee.