On Feb. 22, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) endorsed Senate Bill 315, which, if passed, will make sharing emergency medical services (EMS) easier in New Mexico and other states.
Sponsored by Sen. Sander Rue (R-Bernalillo), the bill was introduced in the New Mexico Legislature earlier this month. It would allow New Mexico to join the Recognition of EMS Personnel Licensure Interstate CompAct (REPLICA) to create common licensing standards and qualifications for EMS personnel and allow them to practice across state lines in other member states under certain, authorized circumstances. The REPLICA compact would cover emergency first responders, emergency medical Technicians (EMTs) and paramedics. EMS caregivers that frequently move from state-to-state, such as wildland fire responders, federal homeland security, and federal law enforcement agencies, would also benefit from multi-state EMS license recognition.