Approval by local governing body for the establishment of volunteer emergency medical services agencies and firefighting organizations

A. No volunteer emergency medical services agency or volunteer firefighting organization shall be established in any locality on or after July 1, 1984, without the prior approval by ordinance or resolution of the governing body. Such ordinance or resolution shall specify the geographic boundaries of the agency's primary service area within the locality. B. Each locality shall seek to ensure that essential emergency medical services are maintained throughout the entire locality. C. An emergency medical services agency that responds to medical emergencies for its primary service area as defined by the local emergency medical response plan shall be a designated emergency response agency and recognized as an integral and essential part of the official public safety program of the county, city, or town with responsibility for providing emergency medical response. 1984, c. 599, § 15.1-26.01; 1997, c. 587 ; 2005, c. 418 ; 2015, cc. 502 , 503 ; 2023, cc. 458 , 459 .