The following is documented in the proceedings of the historic 1969 Airlie House EMS Conference that was held in Warrenton, Virginia and attended by most of the pioneering physicians, organizations and others that helped lay the foundation for today's modern EMS.

In 1962, the Joint Action Program consisting of the American College of Surgeons, the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and the National Safety Council, promulgated a document entitled “Model Ordinance for the Regulation of Ambulance Services.” This model ordinance received broad publicity, but was accepted by less than 100 communities. The City of Houston, Texas was an example of one major municipal government that adopted this document into its city laws and regulations.

In Houston, the adopted model ordinance required that each ambulance be issued a permit by the city in order to respond to city police dispatched emergencies or direct private calls. Each permit issued ambulance service driver was required to be issued an “Ambulance Drivers Permit” and each attendant be issued an “Ambulance Attendant Permit.”   Each permit ambulance service was issued a red and white “medallion” metal tag that was displayed on both the front and rear of the ambulance denoting the city permit number such as “1101.” The ordinance listed required equipment to be maintained aboard each ambulance included a stretcher, portable folding stretcher, long wooden backboard, short wooden backboard, Thomas half-ring splint, air splints, board splints, ambu-bag, oxygen inhalator, airways, a 36-unit first aid kit, portable foot suction unit and a working VHF high-band radio allowing direct communications with the Houston Police Department ambulance dispatcher