New EMS Volunteer Grant Program

Summary#

A-11719 would amend New York’s Public Health Law by adding a grant program for volunteer emergency medical services. The stated goal is to support projects that sustain or enhance EMS operations, infrastructure and equipment; that goal is not a guaranteed result.

  • The program would be established within the New York State Emergency Medical Services Council, but administered by the commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.
  • If funding is appropriated, grants would be awarded competitively through application cycles. Each cycle must provide grants for both facility projects and equipment projects.
  • Eligible entities located in New York and serving one or more New York municipalities could apply. The bill says eligible entities include voluntary ambulance services, a term defined in the existing Public Health Law.
  • Grants would be capital grants. Eligible facility projects include acquiring, building, renovating or improving buildings owned or used by a voluntary ambulance service; eligible equipment projects include repairing, enhancing or installing equipment used for EMS operations.
  • After each cycle, the commissioner must publish a report with funding, application, award and service-area information.

What it means for you#

  • Volunteer ambulance services: If they meet the bill’s eligibility rules, they could apply for a grant. They would not be guaranteed funding: awards would be competitive and depend on an appropriation.
  • EMS workers and communities served: The projects could support facilities, training facilities, vehicles, communications technology and other listed equipment. The bill does not create a direct benefit or service for individual workers or residents.
  • Taxpayers: The bill does not itself appropriate money or set a funding amount. It would create a program that can award grants only if money is appropriated.
  • State government: The commissioner must provide information about each application cycle before it begins and publish a report no later than 30 days after it ends. The commissioner may also make rules to carry out the program.

Money#

No publicly available information gives an estimated cost.

  • Grant awards are subject to appropriation; the bill sets no total appropriation or grant amounts.
  • Before each cycle, the commissioner must publish available funding, including the amounts available by project type and maximum awards for each project and grantee.
  • The bill requires cycle administration and reporting but gives no estimate for staffing or other administrative costs.

What is unclear#

  • The supplied materials do not include the existing Public Health Law section that defines “voluntary ambulance service,” so its current legal meaning and whether other entities could qualify cannot be verified here.
  • The bill does not set application criteria, how applications would be scored, minimum or maximum grant amounts, or whether applicants must contribute matching funds.
  • It does not say how the required applicant and EMT information would be collected, or how the state would decide which projects receive awards.
  • The bill does not specify how much funding would be available, whether funding would continue from year to year, or when the first application cycle would open.
  • The bill is at the introduced stage and is not law. Its start date would be April 1 after it becomes law, but whether it will pass is uncertain.

Case for#

  • A possible argument for the bill is that competitive grants could help volunteer ambulance services pay for major facility and equipment projects that support their operations.
  • The bill covers a range of needs, including buildings, training facilities, vehicles, communications technology and safety equipment.
  • Required public reports could show how many applications were received, how much was requested and where awards went.

Case against#

  • The bill does not guarantee funding. If appropriations are limited, eligible services could apply and still receive nothing.
  • The bill leaves key award rules to later decisions by the commissioner, including application details and selection criteria.
  • It requires grants for both facility and equipment projects but does not set minimum shares for either category or explain how competing needs would be balanced.
  • The commissioner must report EMT counts for applicants, but the bill does not explain how that information would be gathered or whether it would affect grant decisions.