Panel hears split testimony on bill to restore local control of EMS instructor certification

The Workforce Development Committee heard competing testimony on Senate Bill 2,100 during a public hearing on the bill, which would remove a recent rule requiring emergency medical services instructors to be affiliated with a licensed EMS training institute.

Senator Todd Beard, R‑23, who introduced the bill, told the committee the measure would “ensure qualified entry level certification training for emergency responders and technicians may be provided by emergency medical services instructors without requiring involvement from a specific emergency medical services training institute.” He and witnesses representing rural services said the institute requirement, adopted in a recent administrative rule change, makes it harder for small communities to train and recruit volunteers.

Corey Johnson, assistant chief of the Williston Fire Department and a licensed EMS instructor coordinator, urged lawmakers to support the bill and said the rule change was adopted after a contested rule‑making process. Johnson told the committee he collected 18 public comments during that process and argued many came from rural services. “This legislation does not impact our large city services,” he said, but “rural ambulance services across the state are in dire distress” and the rule adds to financial stress and manpower shortages. Johnson said the bill would give local services flexibility while the industry and the state develop a more comprehensive plan.

Representatives of statewide EMS organizations and the Department of Health and Human Services urged caution. Ron Lawlor, representing the North Dakota EMS Association and director of learning development at Sanford Ambulance, said the affiliation requirement (paragraph 5D1, section 3336‑0103, as cited in testimony) was intended to protect course quality and resources for students and small services. “By affiliating with an institution, [independent instructors] should gain the help of a pool of experienced instructors, availability of some of the expensive equipment … possible help with lectures and professional development,” Lawlor said. He told the committee that research and practical experience show larger, better‑resourced programs produce higher pass rates on national certification exams.

Chris Price of the Department of Health and Human Services said the EMS rules are codified as article 3311 and chapter 333,601 and noted the affiliation requirement was endorsed by the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council as part of the EMS Vision 2025 initiative. Price said the department and stakeholders developed the rules to align with industry standards and to protect public safety; he warned removing the affiliation requirement could produce differing instruction and treatment protocols among EMS providers.

Witnesses from both sides discussed practical details the committee pressed: the state currently lists 126 licensed EMS instructors and there are 19 licensed EMS training institutes statewide, witnesses said. Lawlor told the panel that adequate oversight of every independent course would likely require additional state staff (he referenced “at least 2 FTEs” in testimony) and that the affiliation model was a response to limited EMS unit resources for statewide monitoring. Supporters raised the alternative of letting local instructors continue under national standards and expanding high‑school and career‑technical pathways to grow the workforce.

No formal committee vote on Senate Bill 2,100 was recorded during the hearing. Committee members asked for additional information about how many instructors currently remain unaffiliated and about the practical costs and geography of affiliation; the department said it could provide more data as it continues a parallel rules process for training institutes.

The hearing record includes written materials cited by witnesses, including the EMS Vision 2025 strategic plan and public comment summaries from the rule‑making process. The committee closed the hearing on Senate Bill 2,100 without a final recommendation.