Kentucky EMS Licence Classifications — 202 KAR 7:545 (Class VIII event medicine agencies)[1]
Summary
Kentucky has no mass-gathering permit statute with an attendance threshold. What it has is a dedicated event-medicine EMS agency licence class. Under 202 KAR 7:545, "License classifications" (current version effective 22 October 2025; the scheme applies beginning 1 January 2026), a Class VIII agency is an "agency utilizing emergency medical services personnel to provide ALS or BLS care at special events, sports events, concerts, or other large social gatherings." A Class VIII agency must be licensed separately as either a Class VIII ALS or a Class VIII BLS agency. Class VIII agencies "shall not transport patients independently to a hospital"; where transport is required they must "contact 911 for transport by a Class I agency licensed for the geographic service area." On request, a Class VIII agency must share "its protocols, treatment capabilities, and updated contact information" with local Class I agencies. The authority is KRS 311A.030 as amended by 2024 HB 57, administered by the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services.
So what
Kentucky's classification changes the transport architecture of an event medical plan: a Class VIII agency cannot independently transport, so every transport decision routes through 911 and the local Class I service, and the plan must state that handoff explicitly. Class VIII status applies by activity rather than attendance, so there is no crowd-size threshold to screen against — if EMS personnel are providing ALS or BLS care at a special event, the licence class is in play. Because protocols and treatment capabilities must be shared with local Class I agencies on request, treat interoperability documentation as a standing obligation rather than an event-day courtesy.