Emergency Ambulance Employee Safety and Preparedness Act
2019-2020 Legislative Session
Author by Assemblymember Chau
Summary: Under current law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, the Emergency Medical Services Authority is responsible for establishing minimum standards and promulgating regulations for the training and scope of practice for an Emergency Medical Technician-I (EMT-I), Emergency Medical Technician-II (EMT-II), and Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (EMT-P). This bill would require EMT-I, EMT-II, and EMT-P standards established pursuant to the above provision to include a training component on how to interact effectively with persons with dementia and their caregivers.
CRPA Position: While the CRPA does support the advancement of formal education for California Paramedics that could include expanded training in areas such as dementia and care of the elderly, the CRPA does not support the expansion of this education under continuing education. We believe discretion should be left to the EMS Authority, the regulatory body overseeing EMS, as to pertinent annual training topics that advance our state’s EMS system.