State Rep. Dave Prestin this week secured committee support for legislation that would give small, Basic Life Support ambulance services more flexibility to deliver higher levels of care to patients.

Last week, Prestin testified before the House Health Policy Committee in support of House Bill 5249, which would create an Adaptive Care License. The license would allow a Basic Life Support service to temporarily operate at the Limited Advanced Life Support level when it can properly staff and equip at least one ambulance. This flexibility would allow EMS agencies to provide patients with critical advanced care during transport to the hospital.

“My experience as a paramedic and countless conversations with people from our community have taught me that this change is needed,” said Prestin, who has served as a volunteer first responder, paramedic, and firefighter for 15 years. “It’s about giving small EMS services flexibility when a paramedic is available, so patients can receive the best possible care without unnecessary red tape. In rural Michigan, where transport times can exceed an hour, this change means faster interventions, better outcomes, fewer dangerous lights-and-sirens runs, and ultimately, lives saved.”

Under current law, Michigan requires ambulance services to provide their licensed level of care on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis. As a result, small ambulance services are barred from offering higher levels of care unless they can staff that level around the clock – even when individual crew members are trained and capable of providing more advanced treatment.

“The license applies to the ambulance service, not the individual crew,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “Services choose their license based on what they can reliably staff 24/7. That means even when a highly trained paramedic is on board, their hands are tied by the vehicle’s license — not their skills.”

HB 5249 was approved by the House Health Policy Committee, and has moved to the House floor for further consideration.

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