Our local Emergency Medical Service (EMS) departments are crucial to our communities because of their lifesaving support during times of crisis and dedication to the people they serve. However, many of our departments are struggling to recruit new members and keep the lights on. In times of need, it is crucial that our EMS departments are available when we need them.
Last month, the Wisconsin EMS Board was informed that the Department of Health Services (DHS) had approved a new EMS training curriculum. This curriculum will increase the amount of training hours needed to become an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), or Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT). It is estimated that the proposed curriculum will increase EMR initial training from 75 hours to 108 hours and EMT training from 180 hours to 288 hours. This is a huge burden to place on our volunteers, many of whom have to drive long distances to attend these classes after work. DHS approved this new curriculum without any legislative oversight or input and announced the change quietly in a memo rather than a press release or public announcement. As far as I can tell, they tried to make this change as quietly as possible.
I do not support these changes. I believe that they will make it much harder to recruit volunteers to our local EMS departments. I have voiced my frustration with this decision to the leadership at DHS. In the meantime, I have continued to work on ways to increase funding to EMS departments and make it easier for volunteers who want to serve their communities.
Last budget, I was proud to lead the effort to massively expand the EMS Funding Assistance Program (FAP). We increased the funding from $2.2 million to $25 million and made EMR agencies eligible for the first time. Every department that applied for funding received a base rate of $10,000, plus a per capita amount, to help with their lifesaving work. The 46 departments in the 17th Senate District that received awards this year saw a total increase of nearly $900,000!
Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) and I have introduced three bills this week to address a variety of issues raised by those in EMS and serving their communities. These three bills aim to increase access to training, provide departments with tools to recruit more easily, and support innovation in departments.
The first bill has three provisions. The first would require DHS to increase the reimbursement rates to ambulance services when they treat a person onsite, but do not take them to the hospital. Under the current Wisconsin Medicaid program, EMS departments are not able to bill Medicaid enough to cover their costs on calls where they do not transport patients to the hospital. The second would require the Wisconsin EMS Board to provide an annual report to the legislature that summarizes the changes to the state and national scope of practice and how those changes could impact the number of training hours required for EMS personnel. The final provision removes a disincentive under current law for communities to work together cooperatively and create a Joint EMS or Fire District.
The second bill creates programs to provide financial support to EMS personnel taking their initial licensure classes through the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) and to support WTCS when they offer EMS classes. This is intended to make sure that the cost of training is not a barrier for anyone who wants to help out their local departments, and to make sure that your local technical college can continue to teach classes, even if that class is not 100% full. This bill would also create a Live 911 Pilot Program. Live 911 enables dispatchers to send a link via text message to a caller that would allow the dispatcher to see a live video of the scene, provide better instructions, and share information with first responders.
The third bill creates a “regional emergency medical services system” levy limit exemption that would provide incentives for regional collaboration between EMS departments
While this package of legislation will not solve all the challenges our local EMS departments face it is crucial to continue to find ways to provide additional resources and tools to our departments and make it easier for those who want serve to be able to help. Thank you to all of our EMS personnel for your service! I will continue to work for you in the legislature.
As always, if you need assistance with any state-related matters, please call my team at the State Capitol — 608-266-0703 — or email me — Sen.Marklein@legis.wisconsin.gov. My team is ready and willing to help navigate your state government, clear obstacles, and receive your input.
— Sen. Howard Marklein represents Wisconsin’s 17th Senate District. He can be reached at 608-266-0703 or email Sen.Marklein@legis.wisconsin.gov.
