A bipartisan bill, with U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce as a chief sponsor, to provide federal grants to rural fire and emergency medical services agencies is heading to the president to be signed into law.

Joyce, R-Bainbridge, whose district includes all of Trumbull County, said, “First responders work overtime, in many cases risking their lives, to protect us. This is especially true in rural communities across Ohio where we are feeling the effects of nationwide EMS shortages.”

The Support and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) Reauthorization Act provides federal funding through Sept. 30, 2028, for training and recruiting staff, conducting certification courses, and purchasing equipment, including naloxone to address opioid overdoses.

“I am proud to see this critical legislation head to the president’s desk to address staffing shortages, upgrade training and improve access to equipment for rural first responders,” Joyce said. “Americans who live in rural parts of Ohio and across the country deserve access to these life-saving emergency medical services.”

The bill was first signed into law in 2018 as part of the federal Farm Bill. The appropriation then was $5 million annually. With the new bill, it grows to $11.5 million annually.

Joyce co-sponsored the bill in the House with U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat. The House approved it Tuesday by a voice vote.

An identical bill passed by unanimous consent in the Senate on Dec. 13, 2023. That bill was co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Dick Durbin, D-Illinois..

Alan Morgan, chief executive officer of the National Rural Health Association, said his organization thanked Joyce for sponsoring the bill.

“This important legislation will reauthorize the program through 2028 and modify grant use to train EMS personnel on caring for individuals in a behavioral health crisis. This bill will increase access to EMS care for residents in rural communities,” Morgan said.

A decline in primary care and hospital service availability, workforce shortages made worse by the pandemic and the greater distances between health care facilities have all strained rural EMS agencies, according to Joyce’s office.

Also, more than 50% of rural EMS agencies are staffed by volunteers, who have to raise their own funds to operate, according to the National Rural Health Association.

More than 60% of EMS administrators in Ohio report having an open position they couldn’t fill for more than six months, according to the Paramedic Foundation.