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Committee hears calls for an interim study of Montana emergency medical services
Summary
Witnesses told lawmakers Montana’s EMS system faces staffing and response-time strains — volunteers average roughly 14-minute response times versus about 3 minutes for paid services — and urged the House to approve an interim study (SJ 13) to evaluate response, response times and transport.
Senator John Fuller opened a hearing on Senate Joint Resolution 13 asking for an interim study of Montana’s emergency medical services. The sponsor said the study should evaluate response ability, response time and transport round-trip time across the state.
Kalye Hampton, a 17-year-old Flathead County resident whose father is a firefighter-paramedic, described local fundraising for equipment and a pattern of ‘‘double tap’’ calls when two medical emergencies occur simultaneously. She said some volunteer departments estimate 30–33% of calls are double taps and that volunteer staffing shortages cause response delays. "We shouldn't have to rely on generosity and outreach when lives are at stake," she said.
Terry Mullins, supervisor of the EMS and Trauma System Section at the Department of Public Health and Human Services, told the committee Montana’s EMS system has not had a formal evaluation in 19 years. He provided three system metrics the department watches: average response times (about 3 minutes for paid services and approximately 14 minutes for volunteer services), instances where local services could not respond (one county paged a unit 140 times in 2022 and 158 times in 2023), and long round-trip hospital transport times that can take 3–6 hours, which strains volunteer retention.
Other supporters — including professional firefighters, hospital associations and clinic representatives — said the system is diverse, with city-based fire departments, private ambulance contractors, and small rural volunteer departments, and that an interim study is needed to understand operational differences and funding solutions. Carter Marsh (Montana Professional Firefighters) said the study offers valuable insight into how to provide consistent services to all Montanans.
Committee members asked whether ongoing bills (for example, ambulance Medicaid reimbursement proposals) intersect with the study; Mullins said similar measures in other states produced significant financial impacts and offered to gather comparative information. Senator Fuller closed and asked for the committee's concurrence vote to authorize the interim study.
Next steps: committee review and possible concurrence to send SJ 13 to the interim study process.
