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Supporters urge Massachusetts to join interstate EMS licensure compact to ease staffing and surge response
Summary
Advocates, ambulance operators and compact administrators testified for H4119, saying the EMS licensure compact would allow qualified out‑of‑state EMS providers to respond quickly to daily shortages and disasters without redundant licensing steps; proponents said standards match Massachusetts requirements and there is no state cost to join.
Representatives from ambulance services, the EMS compact commission and state advocates urged the Joint Committee on Public Health to advance H4119 to permit Massachusetts to join the interstate Emergency Medical Services (EMS) licensure compact.
Rep. Lee Davis and multiple ambulance executives described the EMS system as “in crisis,” citing low active workforce percentages, high nonrenewal rates, long response times in some locations and rising call volumes. Mike Woronka, identified as a 38‑year veteran paramedic and CEO of Action Ambulance, told the committee that only about half of…
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