The current shortage of EMS workers has serious implications for the nation’s ability to adequately respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies, NAEMT President Ken Bouvier told U.S. Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Stewart Simonson and other members of a working group in Washington, DC, on May 13.
The working group, authorized by the Public Health Security Act of 2002, is assessing the readiness of public health institutions, providers of medical care and emergency service personnel to detect, diagnose and respond to a biological threat or attack. The working group, along with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the United States Fire Administration, will issue a report that identifies the needs of community-based EMS and ways to streamline federal agency support with respect to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies.
Bouvier told the committee that despite the fact that current EMT, paramedic and medical first responder training covers some mass casualty situations, most of these people are not prepared for bioterrorism response and other large scale public health emergencies. He emphasized the importance of clearly identifying the specific role and mission that EMS providers will be asked to fulfill during a bioterrorism or large scale public health emergency so that EMS personnel can be properly prepared with both training and equipment. He told the committee that very little funding, training and equipment is making it to the field provider level.
In his closing remarks, Bouvier told Assistant Secretary Simonson and the working group, "The government has prepared and equipped our military to fight the war on terrorism in the Middle East, but has not properly prepared or equipped EMS to fight the war on terrorism here in the United States.”