(1) A new ambulance, except one that was in service in Montana in a licensed ambulance service on or before January 1, 1990, must have the following:

(a) a patient envelope, available at all times for the primary patient, above the upper torso and head and providing a minimum rectangle of space above the stretcher that is free of all projections and encumbrances, with an allowance for the curvature of the fuselage of an aircraft and the following dimensions:

(i) 18 inches wide;

(ii) 28 inches high;

(iii) 30 inches long;

(b) additional contiguous space above the lower extremities which provides a minimum rectangle of space above the stretcher with the following dimensions:

(i) 18 inches wide;

(ii) 18 inches high;

(iii) 42 inches long;

(c) space available for the attendant above the stretcher, free of all projections and encumbrances, with the following dimensions:

(i) 14 inches wide;

(ii) 18 inches long;

(iii) 28 inches above the patient cot;

(d) attendant space available at the head or either side of the patient envelope;

(e) a patient compartment isolated throughout the medical mission so that:

(i) the medically related activities do not interfere with the safe operation of the ambulance;

(ii) the vehicle controls and radios are physically protected from any intended or accidental interference by the secured patient; and

(iii) the driver or pilot's out-of-ambulance vision is protected from the reflections of cabin lighting by a blackout curtain, a permanently installed partition, or lighting in blue or red, none of which may interfere with the safe operation of the ambulance.

(2) All ambulances must be equipped with:

(a) seat belts for the driver, attendants, and seated patients; and safety belts to secure the patient to the cot;

(b) a mechanism of securing the cot;

(c) interior lighting in the patient compartment sufficient to allow visual determination of the patient's condition and vital signs.