Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sen. Mark Shoesler
OLYMPIA — It's easier to hire ambulance drivers for Garfield and Farmington due to a new law.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5198 into law allowing ambulance services by an association to hire drivers without requiring medical training to insure they have enough personnel to operate.
"This bill will allow the continued operations of shared ambulance services so communities like Farmington and Garfield don't have to turn to other providers farther away, simply because the driver of the ambulance isn't trained in first aid," stated bill sponsor Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville.
The 2021 law adds ambulance services by two or more municipalities to a 2017 law allowing ambulance drivers without first aid or medical training.
"This bill and the state law it updates both works because when an ambulance carries a patient to a hospital, the driver really doesn't have a role in caring for the patient," said Schoesler. "The EMTs in the back really are the persons in charge."
Garfield-Farmington EMS is operated by the Whitman County Public Hospital District No. 2.
"This is a common-sense bill that uses the co-op principle to meet the needs of rural communities. Having it become law is a victory for Farmington and Garfield," said Schoesler.
Bill Stevenson is the former editor of the Whitman County Gazette, Colfax Daily Bulletin and Franklin Connection. He has nearly 30 years of journalism experience covering news in Eastern Washington.
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