Question : Do you need any type of permit/license to carry medical oxygen in an emergency vehicle in New Jersey?
My fire department is putting together a few medical jump bags for our engines as about 1/3 of us are now EMT’s. We want to include oxygen cylinders in our bags. Being an emergency department, do we need any type of permit for the oxygen? Does any special paperwork have to be filled out with the state of New Jersey in order for us to do this legally, and where would I access these forms?
medical oxygen

Best answer:

Answer by Jim B
I would contact the NJ HAZMAT authority, as O 2 is a controlled gas.

I know that here in the Province of Ontario, the O2 cylinders have to be tagged and certified by the cylinder maker, to meet our national standards for pressure vessels in Canada.

Your state will probably have different standards, and ways to store and handle them.

Just one “war story ” from my days with Metro Toronto Ambulance in the 80′s……..

My partner and I responded to a “industrial accident ” where a guy had dropped a full size O 2 cylinder, with out the protective cap, and th neck broke off . The cylinder went thru SIX concrete walls, with in a industrial complex. It missed everyone, but it was amazingly destructive. The compressed gas, flowing thru the small neck opening, created a venturi effect, and drove the cylinder off like a unguided rocket.

Ever since I have had a VERY healthy respect for gas cylinders, of all types.

Jim B. Toronto.