Idaho Bills

Stating findings of the Legislature and encouraging the Department of Health and Welfare to conduct town hall meetings throughout the state to collect feedback on how to retain and recruit volunteer EMS providers.

This resolution encourages the Idaho Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to follow-up on the 2012 town hall meetings report. It will help determine what progress has been made and what challenges remain in the recruitment, education, and retention of volunteer EMS providers in Idaho, with a focus on rural areas. Emergency medical services comprise a system of care for victims of sudden and serious injury or illness. It is estimated that the average U.S. citizen will require the services of an ambulance at least twice in their lifetime. Thus, the existence of effective EMS agencies is crucial in rural and frontier areas. Rural EMS agencies face substantial hardships. Few rural communities have paid EMS personnel, depending instead upon volunteers, who often work full-time in non-EMS related vocations within the community, yet continue to donate their personal time to provide pre-hospital care and receive training. To ensure the continuance of rural EMS agencies, town hall meetings will be conducted to solicit comments regardingcurrentruralEMSagencies'challengesandtocollectimportantrecommendationsforchangesthat must occur if rural EMS agencies are to remain viable.