Vermont EMS advisory committee launches statewide assessment, flags workforce and payment shortfalls

Drew, chair of the Vermont EMS Advisory Committee and chief operations at Down and Rescue Inc., told the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Jan. 22 that the advisory group has hired a consultant to produce a statewide assessment of emergency medical services that will feed a five‑year plan.

The work stems from EMS legislation passed last year that authorized up to $150,000 for an assessment and directed the advisory committee to develop a five‑year statewide EMS plan. "Our current system does not meet our current needs," Drew said, summarizing the committee's view of system reliability and capacity.

The committee told senators the assessment will focus on three areas: workforce, cost and reliability. An initial round of data collection is due April 15 and the advisory committee expects to report back to the Legislature in December. The statute that authorized the work also required coordination with the state's public safety communications/911 dispatch group; the EMS advisory committee said it is working with that task force to align data already gathered on communications.

Why it matters: Committee members and the advisory…