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Senate hears proposals to allow two-person ambulance response when staffing shortfalls persist
Summary
A House bill (HB 559) to codify emergency-era staffing flexibility for ground ambulances drew support from small-town officials and fire chiefs seeking a legal option to send one licensed EMS provider and one trained firefighter when staffing shortages prevent two licensed EMS providers from responding.
Representative Jennifer Rhodes and Representative Mark Pru introduced House Bill 559 before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on April 16, seeking to make permanent an emergency staffing rule used during the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed an ambulance to respond staffed by one licensed EMS provider and one trained firefighter.
Why it matters: Several small-town chiefs and volunteer-based departments told the committee that persistent workforce shortages make it difficult to staff two licensed EMS personnel for every ambulance shift. Proponents said the bill would be an exception to…
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