But a proposal to require emergency-services workers -- including unpaid volunteers -- to pay the state for certifying and disciplining them is bound to backfire, local fire departments and emergency-services leaders have told a House committee.
"Passing on a professional fee to the volunteers who do not have the compensation to cover such is bad policy," T.J. Nedrow, legislative chairman for the Washington State Firefighters Association, said at a recent committee hearing. The association represents 14,000 volunteer firefighters -- most of whom are also emergency-services providers -- across the state.
"It's not only unfair, it's disrespectful to these individuals that give their time away from their families, their priorities, even their jobs, to help the community."
It's already hard to recruit and retain volunteers, said Bill Terhune, chief of North Olympia Fire and Rescue, who ought to know: Almost all his 30-plus firefighters/emergency providers are volunteers.
If requiring fees causes him to lose volunteers, he said, his department might be forced to delay response to less-critical injuries such as a broken arm or a fall by an elderly person.
In most rural areas, all or most emergency responders are volunteers.
The legislation was requested by the state Department of Health; Secretary Mary Selecky said Gov. Chris Gregoire's supplemental budget removes about $850,000-per-year in general-fund money that the department has relied on to pay for credentialing for individual emergency-services providers and ambulance and aid agencies.
The health department estimated that fees would range from $40 to $200 every three years for individuals and from $150 to $200 every two years for ambulance agencies.
Selecky said all of the other 78 types of health professionals credentialed by the state -- from advanced registered nurse practitioners to X-ray technicians -- pay their own way for background checks, certification of training programs and, should it become necessary, disciplinary procedures.
"This is just like every other health-care profession," Selecky said. "This bill is necessary to implement the budget ... "
Two decades ago, two-thirds of the state's emergency-services providers were volunteers, she said. Now, volunteers make up only 40 percent of the 17,400 emergency-services providers certified in the state. They include emergency medical responders, emergency medical technicians, advanced emergency medical technicians, and paramedics.
The proposal, House Bill 2141, also would impose fees on the 480 emergency ambulance and aid agencies, which now do not pay license fees. More than 88 percent of them are operated by some form of local government, Selecky said.
At the hearing earlier this month, House Ways & Means Committee members questioned why the department needed to impose fees. Training and testing, Selecky said, is paid by local agencies. But the state sets standards for training and evaluation, investigates complaints and disciplines providers.
"Our role in this is making sure that they are a provider who has gone through a background check, has had the appropriate training (and) has had the appropriate level of knowledge to be able to be licensed in the state," Selecky said.
Rep. Bill Hinkle, R-Cle Elum, noted that a couple other types of licensed health professionals don't pay fees -- retired volunteer medical workers and pharmacy assistants.
"We have to figure out consistency," Hinkle said. The retirees are exempted by law, and pharmacy assistants are covered under the pharmacy's license.
Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia, wondered if the department would consider imposing fees only on paid emergency-service providers.
"It seems to me this is kind of an unfair deal, to impose a license-fee obligation on somebody who is giving their time and energy without any reimbursement."
Carol M. Ostrom: 206-464-2249 or [email protected]. On Twitter @costrom.
Copyright 2011 - The Seattle Times
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
