LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Trained high school students may be able to become licensed Medical First Responders and  Emergency Medical Technicians under new proposed legislation. 

State Representative David Prestin (R-Cedar River), a licensed paramedic and volunteer Fire Fighter shared how his experiences helped inform the legislation.  

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As a member of the Emergency Medical Services Coordination Committee (EMSCC), one of the most common topics is increasing workforce capacity according to Rep. Prestin. 

“A lot of these bills that I am putting forth are just to drive capacity,” he said in an interview with Michigan News Source. “EMS is in incredibly bad shape, there is a shortage of EMT through paramedics across the country, and especially up in our neck of the woods.  There are calls going unanswered just due to the fact that there are no units and no staffing available.” 

Michigan’s EMS workers are also trending older, and will likely retire from their posts in the near future which could create an issue for emergency service providers, as well as those requiring care. 

“It is a problem that is going to continue to get worse,” he said in the interview. “As I work at the rank and file that are serving throughout the upper peninsula and across the country, they’re getting older and their retirement is coming, and there are not a lot of younger EMS that are entering the profession.” 

The bills, HB 5154 and 5155, would help increase the workforce by expanding the age at which trained members could apply for a license, reducing it from the 18 year old minimum requirement. 

“This is just trying to find a path for kids that check all the boxes, go through all the training, and simply the only reason why they cannot start practicing immediately is because by law they cannot apply for a license until they’re 18,” said Rep. Prestin in the interview. 

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Representative Carrie Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor) also sponsored the bills, bringing a wide background as a Health Policy, and also nearly half a decade serving on the Washtenaw Emergency Medical Services Commission. 

“We need to really take care of this workforce,” she said in an interview with Michigan News Source. “I know that people who were working in a variety of healthcare care fields gave it their all during the height of the pandemic and are really just starting to burnout over time. This is happening with many professions, and since paramedics and EMTs are such a front line urgent, difficult position to work in, I think this has affected this workforce maybe a little bit sooner and more deeply than other workforces.” 

From her angle, Rep. Rheingans’ approach was exploring how this positively affects the community and keeps more talent in the state beginning at a younger age who can continue to get their training without interruptions. 

“It makes sure we kind of hook the people so to speak,” she said in the interview. “Some people who get training in high school might go somewhere else and we lose them, because they have to wait to get their license.” 

According to Rep. Prestin, those who endure the training, even if 17, should be able to handle the challenges of the job. 

“The training in and of itself really prepares the people for the job,” he said in the interview.  “What I have found is that the people who have a hard time with this type of work – you either have a personality that deals with it well, and a passion for it, or you don’t. Because the training is so realistic and the clinical experiences are real world. During the process when you go out on your clinical runs you’re providing patient care, these people, these kids, that have already gained their certification, they’ve already had real world experience and they have a desire to continue to serve in that capacity.”

Some like Michigan Professional Fire Fighter Union President, Matthew Sahr, have expressed some concerns.  

“We understand that there is a staffing crisis here in the state of Michigan, however want to protect our youth that are coming in on the trade and we at this time think 17 years old although it is a little young we think it is a good time to start training, but we’re just not there yet on if they should be licensed working on the road,” he said in an interview with Michigan News Source. 

A potential alternative he proposed to address the aging working population in the first responder profession. 

“The number one thing that cities and townships, and communities could address is that during the great recession we lost retiring health care and many communities have reductions in pension systems,” he said in the interview, “And they may be the jobs that aren’t the highest paid, but they gave long term sustainability.” 

Now, the law potentially is “shrinking the field” of potential people who would risk their lives to save others and see things “that the normal general public doesn’t see” by taking away those benefits such as pension and healthcare according to MPFFU President Sahr. 

The bills have been referred to the Health Policy Committee and Regulatory Reform Committees.