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Emergency Medical Services Board updates staffing rules to mirror 2025 law allowing CPR‑certified drivers
Summary
The Emergency Medical Services Board presented three regulations that reorganize staffing requirements and align ground and air ambulance staffing with a 2025 statutory change that permits a CPR‑certified driver to count toward minimum crew requirements; lawmakers pressed staff on EMR qualifications and population-based variances.
The Emergency Medical Services Board told the legislative committee it is proposing three related regulations to reflect recent statutory changes and to clarify staffing and compact reciprocity for ambulance services. Joseph (Joe) House, executive director of the Emergency Medical Services Board, said the package restructures and cleans up prior rules and incorporates the interstate EMS compact.
"My name is Joe House, and [I am] the executive director of the Emergency Medical Services Board, which is your regulatory body that deals with all things ambulance-related and EMS providers," House said, introducing the three measures: KAR 109-26, which removes staffing components; a new KAR 109-27a restating ground-ambulance staffing rules; and KAR 109-211 updating air-ambulance staffing and equipment standards.
House told the committee 109-27a "matches what statute changed last year." Previously the board required a minimum of two providers on every ground ambulance, one of whom could be an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR). The 2025 Legislature changed that standard to allow a CPR‑certified driver to be included as a provider in some services; House said about six agencies have requested implementation that mirrors the statutory language.
Representative Carmichael asked whether the regulations change the number of people required or their certifications. House responded that 109-27a "mirrors the statutory requirements" and explained EMR is the entry-level credential, requiring roughly 55 hours of education plus a standardized exam and skills testing.
Senators also pressed the board on how the variance process works. House said the 2025 statute codified a variance the board had used, and set a population threshold for services qualifying for that variance (discussed in testimony as counties under roughly 30,000 population). The board will continue to allow variances for larger counties in limited circumstances.
The board did not propose changes to licensing timelines beyond reflecting the statutory language. Lawmakers requested details on implementation and local policy adoption; House said the rulemaking is intended to conform regulations to the statute and to make the standards easier to read. The board will submit the proposed regulations for formal adoption and stand ready to provide additional implementation details to the committee.
Ending: The committee heard no formal motions; members reserved follow-up questions about local implementation and asked the board to provide clarifications on affected services and variance use as the rules move toward final adoption.
