Seventeen-year-olds would be able to provide emergency medical services as part of ambulance crews under a bill proposed by GOP lawmakers in the Wisconsin Assembly.
The proposal would allow 17-year-olds to apply for a first responder certification or emergency medical technician license at various skill levels, including a paramedic. Current law doesn’t allow that for anyone under 18.
Rep. Karen Hurd, R-Fall Creek, and Sen. Jesse James, R-Altoona, are co-authors of the legislation. Last week, the Republican-controlled Assembly health committee voted 11-5 to pass the bill along party lines.
Hurd said she introduced the bill as emergency medical services, or EMS, agencies have struggled with staffing challenges. She recalled an incident where a member of the American Legion collapsed during a funeral she attended in Fall Creek.