The name of this Council will be the West Virginia Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council.

As stated in VW Code 16, Section 4C-5, the emergency medical services advisory council ... shall be continued for the purpose of developing, with the commissioner, standards for emergency medical service personnel and for the purpose of providing advice to the office of emergency medical services and the commissioner with respect to reviewing and making recommendations for and providing assistance to the establishment and maintenance of adequate emergency medical services for all portions of this state.

At the call of the commissioner, members will meet at least four (4) times a year. The chair or commissioner may call a special meeting with a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours advance notice to members.

Every two (2) years, the Council will elect a member to serve as chair and a member to serve as vice-chair.  The Office of Emergency Medical Services automatically provides secretarial support through the commissioner.  The vice-chair shall be elevated to take the place of a chair vacancy.

 APPOINTMENTS

Appointments will be made as written in Code (16-4C-5) . . . The governor shall appoint from the respective lists submitted, two persons who represent the Mountain State Emergency Medical Services Association, one of whom shall be a paramedic and one of whom shall be an emergency medical technician-basic, and one person from the County Commissioners' Association, the West Virginia State Fireman's Association, the West Virginia Hospital Association, the West Virginia Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, the West Virginia Emergency Medical Services Administrators Association, the West Virginia Emergency Medical Services Coalition, the Ambulance Association of West Virginia and the State Department of Education. In addition the governor shall appoint one person to represent emergency medical service providers operating within the state, one person to represent small emergency medical service providers operating with this state and three persons to represent the general public.  Not more than six of the members may be appointed from anyone congressional district.

Terms of office as listed in VW Code 16-4C-5 are of those first appointed, one-third (1/3) shall serve for one (1) year, one-third (1/3) shall serve for two (2) years, and one-third (1/3) shall serve for three (3) years.  Each subsequent term is to be for three (3) years and no member may serve more than four (4) consecutive terms.

Members of the Council shall attend all meetings.  If a members shows lack of participation, the Council will inform the agency the member represents of the member's non-attendance (with a copy to the member).  If the member continues to show poor attendance, the Council will request the member to submit his or her resignation to the Governor, if the member's attendance does not improve or a letter of resignation is not produced, then the Council will ask the Governor to remove the member from office and appoint a replacement member.

Since members are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, no proxy votes will be accepted.

The Chair, with the advice of the Council may provide for committees consisting in whole or in part of non-members, as it deems desirable, and discontinue the same at its pleasure.  Each such committee shall be advisory to the Council and shall have such powers and perform such duties or functions, consistent with law, as may be prescribed for it by the Council.  Any action by each such committee shall be reported to the Council at its meeting next succeeding such action and shall be subject to control, revision, and alteration by the Council.  Code 16-4C-5 does not provide reimbursement of expenses of Committee members who are not Council members.

Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of all meetings of the Council.  A quorum will consist of a simple majority of the constituent membership (as referenced in the Open Governmental Proceedings Act-WV Code Chapters, Article 9A).  As required in WV Code Chapter 6, Article 9A-3, the Office of Emergency Medical Services will file notices of meetings with the Secretary of State's Office for publication in the State Register.

The bylaws of this Council may be amended or repealed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting members of the Council in person at a meeting called for that purpose or at any regular scheduled meeting.

The EMS Advisory Council, on affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the governor appointed membership, may establish a liaison with other agencies, associations, or EMS specialty group.  Each liaison so established shall serve the Council for the purpose of providing exchange of information.  No such liaison member will be permitted to vote on issues, but will be included in discussions.  Their opinions will be solicited on topics related to their group's interests if at all possible.​