Excerpts from the pantograph.com:
Rural emergency medical services face increasing pressure from several areas. The Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) Act would reauthorize a $20 million annual federal grant program from fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2023 to directly support rural EMS agencies in training and recruiting staff, and purchasing supplies and equipment. Individual grants would not exceed $200,000. The bill would provide grant funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration for public, tribal, and private nonprofit agencies in rural communities nationwide.
In June, the Senate passed the Farm Bill, which included the SIREN Act as a bipartisan amendment. The bill is now before a conference committee where the House and Senate will reconcile the differences of their respective bills.
The SIREN Act is supported by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Association of Counties, National Association of Towns and Townships, and National Volunteer Fire Council.
