HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance 1915 ORDINANCE NO. _
AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR THE REGU-
LATION AND OPERATION OF AMBULANCES;
DEFINING TERMS; PROVIDING FOR THE IN-
SPECTION OF AMBULANCES; REQUIRING
DRIVERS OF AMBULANCES TO SUBMIT TO
PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS AND OBTAIN PER-
MITS; REQUIRING AMBULANCES TO BE
EQUIPPED WITH PERSONS VERSED IN THE
KNOWLEDGE OF FIRST-AID TREATMENT;
REGULATING THE SPEED OF AMBULANCES;
REQUIRING AMBULANCES TO BE EQUIPPED
WITH SIRENS TO BE USED CONTINUOUSLY
WHILE ON EMERGENCY CALLS; PROVIDING
A SAVING CLAUSE; PROVIDING FOR CAN-
CELLATION OF DRIVERS1 PERMITS BY CHIEF
OF POLICE; PROVIDING FOR THE REPEAL
OF ALL ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT HERE-
WITH; AND PROVIDING A PENALTY FOR THE
VIOLATION HEREOF.
P R E A M B L E
----ANN
WHEREAS, serious automobile collisions and personal in.Tuivne
are imminent in the City of Fort Worth on_account of the Urog4 rnt
operation of ambulances, which requires an immediate regulation
for a greater protection to the public in general, NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH,
TEXAS:
SECTION I.
The following definitions are hereby adopted and declared
for the construction of this ordinance:
(a) The word "ambulance" shall mean any
vehicle equipped for transporting the wounded,
injured, sick or dead, and shall include emer-
gency ambulances, invalid coaches and funeral
coaches.
(U) The word "person" aha13, include both - -
singular and plural and shall mean and embrace
any person, firm or corporation, their agents, -
servants and employees.
SECTION II.
The Chief of Police shall from time to time cause to be made
an inspection of all ambulances in the City of Fort Worth, and if
an ambulance shall be found unfit or unsafe for operation, notice
shall be given to the owner and operator of said ambulance, and
such ambulance shall not be operated thereafter until the same
has been put in a safe and fit condition.
SECTION III.
No person shall drive or operate an ambulance in the City. of
Fort Worth unless he has been issued a permit to do so by the
Chief of Police, which shall be granted only after submitting him-
self to a physical examination which shall show that he is physi-
cally able to perform such work, and in his application he shall
state his name, street address, age, period of experience in oper-
ating ambulances, that he is not addicted to any habits that would
impair his physical ability to operate such car, whether or not
he has ever been convicted of any offense against the laws of the
city, state or nation, and, if so, the nature of such convictions,
his place of residence for the three years immediately pracsdis&
the date of such application, the length of his residence in said
city immediately prior to the making thereof, and such other infor-
mation as the Chief of Police may require. This permit shall be
in force and effect for one year from the date of its issuance un-
less otherwise cancelled or revoked by the Chief of Police. �I+ y
SECTION IV. "' fG
L
awEach ambulance while making an emergency call in the City of el'
Rf
Fort Worth shall be equipped b the
y person operating said ambulance
with a person well versed in a knowledge of first-aid treatment.
SECTION V.
Hereafter it shall be unlawful for any person to drive or
operate an ambulance while on an emergency call upon the public
streets of the City of Fort Worth at a rate of speed in excess of
thirty (30) miles per hour on the following streets: Throckmorton,
Houston, Main and Commerce Street between Belknap and Lancaster,
and including all cross streets intersecting the above streets;
and at a rate of speed in excess of fifty (50) miles per hour on
any other thoroughfare in the City of Fort Worth.
SECTION VI.
Every ambulance while on an emergency call shall be equipped
with a siren approved by the Chief of Police of the City of Fort
Worth and shall continuously sound said siren while making an
emergency call.
SECTION VII.
A conviction in the Corporation Court of the City of Fort Worth
for a violation of this ordinance by any driver who has received
a permit from the Chief of Police to operate an ambulance, or two
(2) consecutive convictions involving offenses arising from the
operation of a motor vehicle shall be cause for the Chief of Police
to cancel said driver's permit.
SECTION VIII.
Should any section, article, provision or part of this ordi-
nance be declared to be unconstitutional and void by a court of
competent jurisdiction, such decision shAIT +Ti'"A W* fie
validity of any of the remaining parts of this ordinance, unless
the part held unconstitutional or void is inseparable from and in-
dispensable to the operation of the remaining parts. The City
Council hereby declares that it would have passed those parts of
this ordinance which are valid and omitted any parts which may be
unconstitutional if it had known that such parts were unconstitu-
tional at the time of the passage of this ordinance.
SECTION IX.
This ordinance shall be and is hereby declared to be cumula-
tive of all other ordinances of the City of Fort north affecting
traffic on its streets and shall not operate to repea-1 or s any such ordinance or ordinances except in so far as the pro-
visions of such ordinance or ordinances are inconsistent or in con-
flict with the provisions of this ordinance, in which instance or
instances those provisions shall be and they are hereby repealed.
SECTION X.
Any person violating any of the provisions of this ordinance
shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined in any sum not to ex-
ceed One Hundred Dollars ($100.00), and each violation thereof
shall be and is hereby declared to be a distinct and separate of-
fense and punishable as such.
SECTION XI.
This ordinance shall take effect and be in full force and ef-
fect from and after the date of its passage and publication as
provided by law.
APFROVSD_AS.TO,.F0R2 .__tRGLL=� —
city Attorney