Senate Passes Collins’ Bipartisan Bill to Support Rural EMS throughout Maine
Funding through the SIREN grant program has supported EMS agencies serving Aroostook, Franklin, and Waldo counties.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded Senate’s unanimous passage of their bipartisan SIREN Reauthorization Act. The legislation would extend funding for five additional years for Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) grants to rural fire and EMS agencies nationwide. Administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), this funding supports EMS agencies in training and recruiting staff, conducting certification courses, and purchasing equipment, including naloxone to address the opioid epidemic.
“It is vital that Americans who live in rural parts of Maine and across the country have access to lifesaving emergency medical services, which is why I have long advocated for funding to support access to quality rural health care,” said Senator Collins. “With the Senate passage of this legislation, we are supporting rural EMS agencies, this bipartisan legislation would help to alleviate staffing shortages, upgrade training and equipment, and ultimately boost response times when seconds count. This program has made a real difference for recruiting and retaining EMS personnel in Maine’s rural communities.”
“In Illinois, rural EMS agencies are a lifeline for their communities. These first responders are on the front lines, and we must ensure that they have the proper staffing, training, and equipment to address the emergency in front of them,” said Senator Durbin. “I worked in 2018 to pass the bipartisan SIREN Act to meet the needs of rural EMS agencies as they care for their communities. And today, I’m pleased that the United States Senate has recognized the importance of this successful program by advancing the SIREN Reauthorization Act. I’m grateful for Senator Collins’ partnership in making certain that rural EMS agencies continue to have access to the funding they depend on. I urge the House of Representatives to quickly take up and pass this legislation so it can be signed into law.”
The SIREN Act was initially signed into law in 2018 as part of the Farm Bill. Since then, Senators Collins and Durbin have led the appropriations effort to grow the program from $5 million annually to $10.5 million this year, resulting in a total of nearly $30 million in grants nationwide. Funding through this program has supported several EMS agencies across the State of Maine, including those serving Aroostook, Franklin, and Waldo counties.
A decline in primary care and hospital service availability, workforce shortages exacerbated by the pandemic, great distances between health care facilities, and low insurance reimbursement for transport and emergency treatment have all strained rural EMS agencies. At the same time, EMS agencies today are tasked with ever-greater responsibilities— preparing for natural and manmade disasters and bioterror threats, supporting the chronic and emergency care needs of an aging population, and responding on the front lines of the opioid epidemic. These first responders are often the only health care providers in their area and face difficulty in personnel recruitment and retention, and securing expensive equipment.
The SIREN Reauthorization Act is endorsed by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, International Association of Fire Fighters, International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Rural Health Association, National Volunteer Fire Council, and National Fire Protection Association.
###
