1. (1) A licensed ambulance vehicle, including the patient compartment, gurney, and patient care equipment, must be cleaned and decontaminated by the licensed ambulance service after each patient transport. Cleaning and decontamination must occur at the receiving facility before the ambulance is placed back in service.

2. (2) Regardless of contamination, a licensed ambulance service must:

   1. (a) Clean and decontaminate at least once every 24 hours if the ambulance vehicle is used for patient transport daily.
   2. (b) Clean and decontaminate after each patient transport if the ambulance vehicle is not used for patient transport daily.

3. (3) Cleaning and decontamination include but are not limited to:

   1. (a) Wiping off all visible debris and soil with towels;
   2. (b) Properly disposing towels at the receiving facility or storing in a sealed container or bag for washing at the ambulance service facility;
   3. (c) Ensuring all personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies used for cleaning and decontaminating the ambulance and patient care equipment are properly disposed of in a red biohazard bag if soaked in blood or bodily fluids; and
   4. (d) Ensuring all needles and sharps are disposed of in a sharps container.

4. (4) The licensed ambulance service shall take out of service any patient care equipment contaminated with blood or bodily fluids that requires extensive cleaning or decontamination. Equipment must be bagged in a red biohazard bag and transported back to the ambulance service facility for decontamination before being placed back in service. Equipment that may require extensive cleaning and decontamination includes, but is not limited to:

   1. (a) Patient restraint straps (spine board or gurney);
   2. (b) Equipment bags made of a permeable material; or
   3. (c) Patient care equipment with permeable surfaces.
5. (5) A licensed ambulance vehicle, including the patient compartment, gurney, and patient care equipment, must be cleaned, decontaminated and disinfected when exposed to possible respiratory or bloodborne pathogens, or biohazards using an US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered hospital disinfectant rated to disinfect the contaminant or known pathogen per the manufacturer recommendations.
6. (6) The ambulance patient compartment, gurney and patient care equipment surfaces shall be regularly inspected by the licensed ambulance service for breaks in integrity that would impair cleaning or disinfecting. These items shall be discarded or taken out of service and repaired prior to being placed back in service.
7. (7) PPE and cleaning or disinfecting materials must be provided by the licensed ambulance service to employees, volunteers, qualified drivers and ambulance-based clinicians when cleaning an ambulance.

Statutory/Other Authority

ORS 682.017 & ORS 682.068

Statutes/Other Implemented

ORS 682.017 - 682.117 & ORS 682.991

History

PH 19-2025, adopt filed 09/24/2025, effective 01/01/2026