Senate committee recommends against new one-person ambulance staffing rule, cites existing waivers and safety concerns

A New Hampshire Senate committee voted 5-0 to recommend inexpedient to legislate (ITL) on bill 559, which would have changed staffing requirements for emergency medical transport vehicles.

Committee members said existing licensure standards, a waiver process at the Department of Safety and available rulemaking tools are the appropriate ways to address local staffing problems rather than a statutory change.

“When you’re transporting a patient, you need 2 people, 2 licensed providers,” Senator Avard said during the committee’s executive-session discussion. Avard, who described prior rule-writing experience at another agency, said the committee heard limited evidence that a statewide change was necessary and noted an existing waiver mechanism at the Department of Safety that could be expanded where a community faces staffing shortages.

Members cited data the Department of Safety provided showing that a one-person staffing waiver introduced during COVID accounted for roughly 2 percent of transports in the period reviewed. Several senators said that targeted, service-by-service waivers and case-by-case rule making would be faster and better tailored than a statutory mandate.

Committee members also discussed how crews typically operate: one licensed provider driving and a second attending to the patient in the rear of the ambulance. Senators asked questions about whether single-person responses at the scene are common and emphasized that the statutory standard applies to transport, when two licensed providers are expected.

The committee’s motion to recommend ITL carried by a 5-0 vote. Members noted that the Department of Safety retains authority to issue waivers and that the committee could revisit the issue if data later show a more widespread problem.

The committee’s action was a recommendation to the full Senate; it does not itself change state law.