Upping the Rural Ante

Rural Emergency Crews Fear Proposed Rules | AP | 12.28.04

CENTER, N.D. - The emergency medical technicians in this town are familiar faces from the high school, the county clerk’s office and the coal mine. And like many of their counterparts around the country, members of the Center squad are worried that proposed national standards could more than double the amount of training they must have and thin their ranks.

“A lot of people can’t comprehend what it’s like to drive 345 miles and not see a house, not see anything, and to have to cover that,” said Mickie Eide, the squad’s leader. “If you keep requiring us to do more, there’s going to be less of us to do it.”

The revamped certification rules are being developed for federal regulators by doctors, EMTs and state emergency medical directors.

Supporters say more training requirements would ensure a better qualified national corps of emergency medical providers. But in rural areas where volunteer crews are the rule, many fear the change will limit the pool of new recruits and force experienced EMTs to drop out.

“This is one of the most difficult decisions that I have been involved in in EMS (emergency medical service) in the last 20 years at the national level,” said Bob Brown, director of the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.

The goal is a national standard that would guarantee highly trained workers in ambulances across the nation, Brown said. …