(Des Moines) The Iowa Legislature recently passed an amendment to the Standings Appropriation bill to help EMS responders, especially in rural Iowa.
Griswold District #21 Representative Tom Moore says the amendment establishes EMS as an essential service. The county voters must adopt a resolution declaring EMS to be an essential service within the county. This allows rural volunteer EMS to levy for appropriate financing.
Moore says if such a resolution is adopted, the board is required to coordinate efforts within the local EMS agencies to establish a county EMS system advisory council to recommend an amount of taxes necessary and research and assess the EMS needs of the county.
Moore says this also provides for a workforce pipeline with Iowa’s Community Colleges.