IAEP Supports Bill to Make EMS Essential Service in New Jersey

The International Association of EMTs and Paramedics (IAEP), a labor union representing hundreds of EMS professionals across the state of New Jersey, is proud to support New Jersey General Assembly Bill A6075, the EMS Essential Service legislation. This bill aims to formally designate Emergency Medical Services as an essential service in New Jersey.

The IAEP has been a longtime supporter of the push to make EMS essential for all first responders across the country, as more than half of the states in the US currently do not allow EMS this designation. The union is gratified to see the New Jersey General Assembly step up to extend the same statutory protections that already apply to police and fire services to EMS in their state– a long overdue measure for these brave emergency care providers.

Designating EMS as an essential service would be crucial to securing stable funding for operations, equipment, training, and recruitment and retention efforts in this lifesaving field. More than this, it would be an invaluable measure to ensure a sustainable future for EMS, in which every person has equitable access to quality pre-hospital care when they need it, and every EMS professional has access to the resources, knowledge and tools they need to build a viable career as a healthcare professional and first responder within this field, not outside of it.

The job of an EMS professional is to provide care for residents in the face of danger, tragedy, adversity, uncertainty, and nearly every other moment of need. The services that they provide are integral to the health, safety, and overall function of this state. In return, it is only fair that they are given the same support and protection that their brothers and sisters in fire and police services already receive.

For these reasons, the IAEP is proud to endorse A6075 and encourages its passage in the state in the best interest of its EMS providers and patients alike.